Let's Figure This Out
by Sucker4Scandal
Summary: This is the sequel to We Can Figure It Out. It will make a little more sense if you read that story first, but it's not entirely necessary. It's the same crazy fun Olitz from WCFIO, but they are married now and have to navigate that together. Little smushy Grant babies will be crazy and fun too. Right?
1. Chapter 1

To any new readers, I'm happy to have you & I hope you like this story! It's a sequel to We Can Figure It Out. To everyone else, WELCOME BACK! Let me know what you think.

Happy Places

Fitz blinked his eyes a few times in an effort to wake up at the early hour of five a.m. The first thing his bleary eyes saw was his wife. Blissfully asleep and completely at home sprawled out across his chest. His picked his head up a few inches off the pillow to look at her, and wondered for the millionth time how she was comfortable on top of him. Her toned chocolate arms were bent at the elbow and laid on the bed beside his body. He could feel her legs. They were short, but they were tangled with his deep under the sheets. Somehow she always managed to get one of her feet under his calf. It was a mystery to him how she did it.

Sleeping on his chest was what Liv called her happy place. Fitz thought it was crazy and couldn't be comfortable at all, but she had insisted that it was. He remembered back to the day they got married and smiled. It was New Year's Eve and the best day of his entire life. The moment he saw her walking down the aisle toward him, he would have promised her anything. When they said their vows, Fitz had promised to let her sleep in her happy place every night. He was keeping his promises to her, no matter what.

Recalling the wedding brought back thoughts of their honeymoon as well. They had enjoyed an amazing time in Aruba together. Beautiful blue water. Warm white sandy beaches. Lots of sunshine. Even in January the temperature was in the mid-eighties. They swam in the ocean most mornings after Olivia woke up. because rarely was there anyone else outside then. They felt like the only two people in a beautiful perfect paradise.

In the afternoons they would eat lunch on the veranda that overlooked the water, or adventure off together hand in hand on foot. They rented bikes and rode for miles together under the warm sun. On lazy days, they would take a taxi and use their time wisely by kissing in the backseat as the driver took them nowhere in particular. They went sightseeing and looked like complete tourists when Liv insisted on bringing her good camera worn around her neck. Another day they went to the small marketplace for fresh fruits and a few other supplies.

In the evenings, the newlyweds would go out to dinner. Someplace new every night. They took turns choosing the restaurants. Some they liked. Some they didn't. But it was always fun because they were together. When Olivia and Fitz got back from dinner, they were up all hours of the night making love on every surface, in every room of the house they were staying in. Fitz fondly remembered one morning they were still wrapped in each other's arms and tangled up in each other's bodies when the sun slowly began its ascent. Fitz had picked up his wife and carried her to the huge picture window to watch the amazing colors light up the dark sky. It had been a truly magical week for both of them.

Fitz was brought back to the present when Olivia sighed in her sleep. Her continued watching her. Every time he inhaled, her body rose on top of his. It was always the cutest thing to wake up to. Unless he had to pee. Then it was annoying because Fitz had to quietly and carefully extract her clinging body from on top of his. Not an easy thing to do because his wife, although she only weighed a hundred pounds soaking wet, really liked being in her happy place. Especially in the morning. She would whine groggily when he pried her off of his warm skin and gently lay her on the sheet. He had learned to not drink after ten p.m. to prevent her from turning into a two year old before she properly woke up.

Mrs. Grant currently had nothing on her sexy little body. Fitz had convinced her long ago to sleep in the nude during the summer months. This summer however, would prove to be their most interesting one yet. There was someone else in bed with them. After eighteen months of marriage and a few upset trips to the gynecologist, Olivia was finally pregnant with their first baby. Ten weeks pregnant to be exact. They were both beyond excited to meet baby Grant and Fitz talked to her belly all the time. He grinned at her sleeping face and wondered how much longer she would be able to sleep in this position with a baby growing in her belly. It was one of many interesting developments he was eager to see unfold. She was more precious to him now than she ever had been before. He tucked a stray strand of black hair behind her ear. Her face crinkled instantly, but she continued to sleep.

After twenty minutes of admiring her and having random thoughts, he knew she needed to get up to get ready for work. Fitz hated this part. His wife was not a morning person. She was at her crankiest in the morning. Still, the devil in him, enjoyed waking her up. Just a little bit.

"Babe?" Fitz cooed. He always started off sweet when waking her up. He would eventually get more firm with her, but he had learned that it was never a good idea to start off that way. When she continued sleeping, completely unaffected by his voice, he gently coaxed her again. "Liv. Hey. You've gotta get up."

Her reply was to tuck her hands underneath his back and breathe out, "uh uh" with her eyes still closed.

She did this most mornings, so Fitz was not surprised. "Do you need some morning motivation?" He asked playfully.

"Just let me sleep!" She whined.

"You sleep. I'll motivate." He said with a smirk. He put his hands on her waist and pulled her warm body up as he slid his down. He got some resistance from her, but it was expected and he continued. When her breasts hung in his face, he stopped moving, picked up his head, and carefully took one of them into his mouth. He swirled his tongue around her nipple making it harden. He knew better than to suck on the pebble because Olivia had warned him that they were extremely tender. Still, he felt her stir a little above him. It encouraged him greatly and he repeated the action to the other side, causing her to stir a little more. He smiled against her skin and knew he was about to have her full attention.

Fitz wiggled a little further down the bed, feeling resistance from the tucked in flat sheet. He kicked and wiggled his big feet until the cool material came sloppily untucked and the sheet, as well as his feet, were hanging off the bed. He continued sliding Olivia up his body and stopped when her belly was at his mouth. He planted a soft kiss on her smooth flat skin and whispered, "Close your eyes" to his unborn child.

Olivia was smiling happily while gripping onto the headboard of their bed as her husband slid her body further up. He was getting really inventive with the ways he woke her up in the morning and she often faked sleepiness to prod his creativity. This morning was no exception. She really did hate mornings, but married mornings were so much more enjoyable in her opinion. When he kissed her stomach and whispered something she couldn't quite hear, she almost said something to him. But Olivia decided to let him have his moment. He was going to be an amazing dad. She was brought back to the present when she felt his hands on her ass and his breath hover at her femininity. She closed her eyes and happily waited for what was coming.

Fitz was under the sheet and under his wife's slim little body. While he appreciated and loved everything about her, he was partial to her ass. He was constantly slapping or patting it when she walked by him. Or gripping it when they were alone and being intimate. He had both hands on it now and was not too gently massaging it as his wife, faker extraordinaire, opened her legs wide for him to enjoy breakfast in bed. He knew what she was up to. But Fitz let her think she was in control of their morning wake ups. They both got what they wanted, so who was he to make it an issue?

Using his hands on her backside, Fitz brought her core closer to his face and flicked his tongue across it once. The moment his tongue touched her sensitive skin, she let out a throaty moan that let him know she was indeed awake now. He grinned against her skin and decided to make her talk. He meticulously kissed her inner thighs before sucking on the skin there, making sure to leave a mark. He felt his wife's legs trying to guide his head back to where she wanted his mouth to be. Still he took his time, waiting for her to chide him vocally. It wouldn't be long now he knew. He moved his tongue in a wide circle, touching almost everywhere except her bundle of nerves. Fitz heard her frustrated breathing, continued to smile, and started counting backwards in his head.

Three...

Two...

"I swear to god if you don't put your mouth where it belongs right this minute and make me scream, I will..."

Yup. She's awake now.

Fitz never let her finish her empty threat. Instead he pulled her core to his face and feasted like a starving animal. When she arched her back he reached a hand up and lazily ran it along her spine. When she poked her ass further out in the air, the hand returned to her ass from her back and slapped her skin there. When she started panting, Fitz hummed loudly on her sensitive skin. When she grabbed a fistful of his curls and grinded onto his face he knew she was on the brink of explosion. He increased the already crazy pace, heard her scream his name at the top of her lungs a few moments later, followed by body racking shudders. He gave her ass one more squeeze for good measure and then rolled her over onto her back. She went limp as her body randomly convulsed from the after-shocks.

He scooted back up to his pillow and watched Olivia's face as she tried to remember how to breathe again. She cracked one eye open and looked at him while her ragged breath tried to slow down. "Are you ok?" He asked.

"Yea. That was pretty good. Thanks." She replied breathlessly.

"Pretty good? You still can't breathe without wheezing, Liv. Pretty good, my ass." He got up to take a shower and with his back to her, once again counted down in his head.

Three...

Two...

"I know you don't think that's the end of this, Mr. Grant." She threatened sarcastically.

He smirked to himself, put his scowl back on his face, and turned around to her. "Excuse me?" He said with annoyance.

"You heard me. Get your fine ass back into this bed and finish the job!" She said with one perfectly raised eyebrow.

"I don't know. The bar is set kinda high at pretty good." He shot her a bland expression but his lower half gave his excitement away.

Olivia glanced down and noticed it too. "Married life is not one sided." She stretched lazily as her husband eyed her lean body. "So get your ass back into bed and give me what I need."

"I thought I just did." He said, still standing in place.

"That was just as much for you as it was for me and you know it." Her face softened and she touched her stomach. "Please? For your baby momma?"

Fitz bit on his inner cheek in order not to smirk at her. She always got whatever she wanted from him, within reason. They had only found out she was pregnant a month ago, and she had already learned how to ensure she got what she wanted. Whenever she touched her stomach, he folded. It was going to be a long seven and a half months he decided. "Fine. But don't refer to yourself as my baby momma ever again. It's just weird." He walked toward the bed and pounced on it, making her giggle. "Just call me Lord Commander of orgasms."

Olivia stared at him and started to get up. "I'm definitely not saying that."

Fitz grabbed her around the wrist and brought his giggling wife back to bed. He put Olivia on her back and gently laid down on top of her, being very mindful of her belly. He leaned his head down and kissed her mouth with a purpose. Olivia sank into the kiss and brought her arms up around his neck as he slid into her. Being with Fitz always felt like home to her. It was comfortable and fun. And she never felt more loved or cherished by any other man in her whole life. She loved him more than life itself and didn't think she could get any happier. Until she found out she was pregnant.

They had been trying to get pregnant since right before they got married. It had felt like an eternity to wait for. The day Olivia found out was just like any other ordinary day for her. She was working at her desk and Abby came in around eleven thirty with some egg salad in a bowl. She sat down in one of Liv's visitor chairs and began talking between bites. Olivia abruptly stopped working and sniffed the air, trying to locate what the offensive smell was coming from. She asked Abby what she was eating and Abby had replied, "It's egg salad from Fran's. It's where we always get it. Why?"

The name of the food alone was enough to have Olivia scrambling towards her small black trashcan and retching whatever was in her stomach. She grabbed the box of tissues from on top of her desk and blotted her mouth before meeting Abby's frowning face. Suddenly Abby was no longer interested in eating any more.

"What the hell was that all about?" Abby asked. She put the lid on top of the bowl and eyed her friend for more vomiting.

"I don't know. It just smells terrible to me. It made me nauseous. I'm so sorry, Abs." Liv apologized. She tied off the bag in her trashcan and went into the adjoining bathroom and washed her hands.

"Are you coming down with something?" Abby got up quickly from her chair and took a step back away from her friend. "I don't want to get sick."

"I feel completely fine now. I didn't mean to ruin your lunch. I'm so sorry." Olivia apologized.

"It would be so cool if you were pregnant!" Abby said grinning. She watched her best friend's face go from smiling to deep in thought.

Olivia looked up to the ceiling for a few moments and then her head snapped down to the calendar on her desk. She looked through the previous month that had already been folded behind the current one. She flipped back another month and ran her finger over the numbers. Her index finger stopped on a day and she lifted her head to meet Abby's gaze. "Holy shit!" She exclaimed.

"What is it? What's the matter?" Abby asked fearfully.

Olivia opened her desk drawer and grabbed her purse. "We need to run an errand. NOW!" She had demanded.

"Good. You owe me a lunch!" Abby said smiling.

As Olivia dashed past her assistant she said over her shoulder, "We are running an errand. Be back as quick as we can."

Yvonne shrugged at her boss and happily muttered, "That just means a longer lunch for me today. Thank you very much."

Olivia drove like a wild woman to the drug store and practically ran down every aisle in the back half of the store until she found what she was looking for. "Liv! Will you slow down, please? Abby huffed as she followed quickly behind. "What do you need from here anyw...Oh. OH! Really? Ohmygod!" Abby picked up one of every kind and held them in her arms as Olivia was reading the side of the box she was holding. Abby batted her friend's hand away and said, "That's fine print, Liv. We are lawyers. We know all about fine print. You need to pee on all of these to make sure. Let's GO!"

That snapped Olivia out of her daze. She looked at Abby's loaded down hands in amazement. "Abby, we are not getting all of those. We only need one!"

"No. We need at least two. Confirmation you crazy bitch. And stop running. It's probably not good for the baby."

"Fine. Put the rest back. There's not enough pee in New York for all of those." Olivia started putting most of the tests back on the shelf and patiently straightening them as she did so.

"Seriously, Liv? We need to know if there's a cute little baby Grant growing in your belly. If you want a part time job, you can get an application at the check-out register. Come ON!"

They settled for three tests. All of which claimed to be able to spot the pregnancy hormone in as little as five days after a missed period. After they paid for them, Abby asked for the key to the bathroom. The cashier, a kid still in high school said, "Are you both going in there together?"

"Yea. We want a quickie before we go back to work. Give me the key..." She looked at his name tag for the first time and added, "Terry." The kid smiled broadly at the two women and watched them run to the restroom.

Once inside, Olivia sat on the toilet as Abby opened the first box. Then the foil package inside. With shaky hands she passed the white stick to Olivia who proceeded to pee on it and hand it back to Abby. By that time Abby had the second test opened and once she capped the used test, she handed Olivia the unused one. The pair of them repeated the process until all three tests were laid out on the bathroom sink.

Abby wrung her hands together as Olivia washed her hands and asked, "How long do we have to wait?"

Abby shrugged her shoulders. "How am I supposed to know?" She grabbed one of the rectangular boxes and read it aloud. "This says three minutes."

"Three minutes? That's all? What do we do until..." Someone knocked on the restroom door.

"Are the two of you ok in there?" A familiar voice asked.

Abby and Liv looked at each other and grimaced. "Get the hell out of here Terry. I'm about to have the best orgasm of my life." Abby said to the door blandly.

Olivia looked at her watch. "It's been three minutes already."

"I can't orgasm that fast unless Stephen..."

"Stop talking and go look at the test, Abby!"

The smirking redhead stepped closer to the sink and picked up the first test. She squinted at it, put it down, and picked up the second one. After putting it down she picked up the last test. Olivia watched her face for signs. "Well?" Olivia asked impatiently.

"According to all three of these tests, you're pregnant, Liv! I'm gonna be an aunt!" The two women screeched loudly together and hugged in a happy dance as tears flowed down both of their faces.

Olivia's hand immediately went to her belly. She looked up at Abby and said in a shocked whisper, "There's a baby in there."

"There's a baby in there." Abby echoed, putting her hand on her friend's belly. The two of them hugged again. "Holy shit, Liv. You gotta tell Fitz!"

"Baby daddy is gonna be so excited!" Liv said as her face lit up.

"No. That is not a good nickname for him. Never. And I mean never, call him baby daddy again." Abby said with a scrunched up face.

Olivia grabbed the first pregnancy test she had taken, slid it back inside the box, and put it in her purse. She looked at her friend and said, "When you get pregnant you can call Stephen whatever you want and I will support it. So shut up and let's go back to work."

"I'm never getting pregnant. So there." Abby said sticking out her tongue. She unlocked the bathroom door and saw Terry standing a few feet away from it. He quickly started dusting shelves and watched them exit.

As Abby passed he asked, "Do you two always cry at the end?"

Abby looked at Olivia and said, "Oh yea. This one is very high strung. It adds to the experience."

Olivia grabbed Abby's arm and dragged her out of the store while the kid watched them in complete fascination. "Don't do that. You're gonna confuse the kid."

"Speaking of kid, how are you planning to tell Fitz about the baby?"

"Wow. Nice cross over." Olivia chuckled. "I'm just gonna tell him. It doesn't have to be a production! It wasn't when I just found out."

"Good point. I'm going to require a cute shirt that says something about being the best aunt ever though." Abby said in a serious tone.

"Tell baby daddy. He'll take care of it. You're his bestie." Olivia teased.

"I'm going to assume that this is hormonal Liv talking right now. It's weird. Stop it!" Olivia laughed at her friend.

Later that night, back at home, Olivia dropped the item she had bought on the table and checked her watch. She had about fifteen minutes to get everything in place before Fitz got home from work. As it turned out, Olivia was excited to make a production out of telling him that she was pregnant. Tonight's menu was charades. She hoped Fitz was halfway decent at the game.

She opened the package, opened the oven, and put the hamburger bun on the bottom rack. It was self explanatory, right? Surely he would understand what she was trying to tell him? He walked in the door as Olivia sat down at the table.

"Hey, babe. How was your day?" He asked as he kissed her cheek.

"It was...very interesting. To say the least."

"Yea? I hope that's a good thing? Did you cook? I'm starving." He glanced over at the stove and saw that there weren't any pots or pans sitting on top of it. He frowned. It was her turn to cook tonight.

"Actually, there's something in there." She said pointing at the stove.

"In the oven?" When she nodded to him, he eagerly went to it and pulled the handle down. He frowned again. He pulled the lone item out and turned to her. "Liv? Why is there a hamburger bun in the oven? Where's the food?"

He didn't get it. She was going to have to help him. "What's in the oven?"

Fitz looked at the hamburger bun and back at his wife. He wondered if she had lost her mind? He hesitantly said, "A bun?"

"Right! There's a bun in the oven."

Fitz squinted his eyes and gave her a questioning look. "Ok. What about it?"

"Fitz. Think about the words that I'm saying. There is a bun in the oven and you were the last one in the bakery." Olivia watched him open his mouth but she cut him off before he could speak. "I'm not talking about your bakery. I'm talking about mine."

She watched the confusion on his face as he tried to figure out what the hell she was talking about. Olivia said nothing and waited patiently. She was rewarded a few minutes later when his eyes snapped back to hers and the confusion was replaced with shock. She knew he understood exactly what she was saying when her husband's eyes left her face and moved down to her stomach. "What are you saying?"

"What do you think I'm saying?" she asked with a smile.

"Are you...? I mean. Are we...?" He took a deep breath, let it out, and calmly asked. "Are you pregnant?"

"Yea. We're gonna have a baby." She said smiling.

He stood up abruptly and said, "Really? How can you be sure?"

Olivia walked to her purse and pulled out the test she had taken at the drug store. Fitz looked at it and grinned proudly. "We're gonna have a baby!" He picked her up and spun her in a circle as she laughed. He set her back on her feet just as quickly and apologized. "Shit. I'm sorry. That's probably not good for the baby." He continued holding her close and happily kissed her. "I love you so much!" Remembering that they were not alone, he knelt in front of her, put his hands on her hips, and spoke to her flat stomach. "Hello in there. I'm your daddy. I can't wait to meet you. We already love you so much! You're gonna love us too because we're freaking awesome!" Olivia giggled at him and pulled him back up for another kiss.

Olivia shut out all thoughts of that day as Fitz continued swiveling his hips as he plunged into her. Morning sex was phenomenal with him. Hell, all sex was phenomenal with him. Maybe it was just a nice way to start the day? She felt a moment of panic before she remembered the words her doctor told her recently that sex would not, in any way, harm the baby. She thought it was a weird thing to think about during sex, but she supposed her mind would be filled with weird thoughts about her baby for the unforeseeable future. She tried to concentrate on the moment again.

She could feel another orgasm building and gripped his shoulders to brace herself for it somehow. This man was just so good at what he did to her body. He had his head in her neck and was breathing heavy, but picked it up and looked at her. As if reading her mind he panted out, "Are you ok?"

Olivia smiled at him and pushed the curl that hung on his forehead back with the others. "An orgasm would be nice. Do you think you can manage that?"

Fitz grinned at his wife and pecked her lips. "Oh now that you're awake you're a smartass. I get it." He held onto her hips and rolled them together so she was on top of him. Fitz put his hands under his neck and stretched out with their bodies still joined together. "Let's see if you can do any better."

Liv gave him a sultry look and prayed they didn't have a boy who acted like his father. "I'm pretty sure I got this." She said sarcastically.

He smirked at her. "Oh? You're pretty sure?"

Olivia leaned down and planted a sultry kiss on his hairy chest before looking into his baby blues and whispering, "I'd hold on to something if I were you. This is gonna get bumpy." She planted the bottoms of her feet beside his thick thighs and rode him relentlessly.

Married life was good!


	2. Cravings

Fun Fact: I completed this before I posted the first chapter. I was so happy to see that y'all wanted to know what the parent's reactions were. I love that so much! Thank you for the amazing reviews of support for the first chapter!

Cravings

Fitz and Olivia sat beside each other at a long table in the restaurant. They had invited both sets of parents to dinner and were waiting for them to arrive. The waiter had just left their drinks and the happy couple were grinning with their heads together. They couldn't wait to make their announcement to the four people they loved most in this world. Fitz touched his lips to his wife's and said, "I love you, babe." A clearing throat behind them had the newlyweds quickly separating like busted horny teenagers.

Olivia turned around and saw her father standing behind their chairs. "Daddy!" She exclaimed. Olivia stood up and hugged him affectionately. "You're gonna have to stop sneaking up on us like that."

"Hey, Munchkin." Nathaniel kissed the top of her head and released her to shake his son in law's hand. "How have you been, Fitz?"

"I've been great. Thank you." Fitz replied. He noticed Olivia's mother, Lila, standing beside his father in law, and hugged her warmly. "How have you been?"

"We've been fine. We don't see near enough of the two of you though." She chided.

Fitz chuckled at her. He loved Olivia's parents but adored her mom. "We'll have to do better at coming for visits. Liv's been busy at the office and the bakery seems to have a constant line of people inside."

"That's a good problem to have, Fitz. I'll have to come by the bakery soon to add to the line." She said.

"Are you still taking care of my baby?" Nathaniel asked.

"Yes, sir." Fitz said, putting his arm around Olivia as she put her hand on his chest.

"Nathaniel!" A loud voice rumbled from across the room. Four heads turned to see Fitz's father, Thomas, walking toward the table. The two fathers shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. They weren't fooling anyone. The two of them got together at least once a week for coffee and to shoot the breeze about the 'good ole days'.

Emma, Fitz's mother, rolled her eyes at the two older men and made her way towards Lila where they hugged each other warmly and chatted for a minute. Fitz and Olivia hugged his parents and then Thomas and Nathaniel took seats next to each other at the table, already engaged in deep conversation and laughter. Fitz leaned down to his wife's ear and whispered, "This feels like déjà vu. But I bet our news can get even those two to stop talking for a few minutes." Olivia giggled at him and they took their seats.

Drinks were served to everyone at the table and the orders had been taken. "What is it this time, sonny?" Thomas asked his son point blank. "You only ask the four of us to dinner if there is some type of announcement. Not that I mind getting together with good friends over a nice meal, but let's hear it. What is it? A hangnail this time?"

"Thomas Grant! Stop being so rude you old goat!" Emma chastised. "Do the two of you have something to tell us?"

"We do." Fitz said. He looked at his wife and smiled lovingly at her. "You tell them."

"No. You tell them." Olivia said returning his smile.

"Somebody tell us something! Thomas and I have a nine a.m. tee time tomorrow." Nathaniel exclaimed.

"Nathaniel Pope. I know you aren't talking to family in that tone of voice?" Lila said with raised eyebrows.

"Sorry, Munchkin." Nathaniel said.

"It's ok, dad." She looked at Fitz and he nodded for her to share their news. Olivia faced the parents and simply said, "I'm pregnant."

The entire table loudly erupted into chaotic noise.

"A new baby! That's the best news yet!" Emma said giddily.

"My munchkin is gonna be a momma?" Nathaniel said, stunned.

"Hallelujah!" Lila shouted loudly as heads in the restaurant turned her way. "OHMYGOD PEOPLE! I am finally gonna be a grandmother! My daughter is having a baby!" Some of the patrons smiled and clapped for her. She bowed unapologetically and told them thank you. "I wonder if I'll be called Grandma? Or Grammy? Or Mimi? I am fine with whatever that perfect little person decides to call me. I just can't wait to meet him or her! When are you due, baby?"

"The official due date is December ninteenth." Olivia said rubbing her belly affectionately.

"That'll be the perfect Christmas present." Lila said.

"It's about damn time, son." Thomas said grinning at the younger Grant man. "We've been waiting a year and a half for this dinner." He stood up and hugged his son, clapping him on the back. "if she drives you crazy near the end, just come hide out at the house."

"Dad!" Fitz chuckled.

The women huddled at Olivia and gave her advice. "If you need anything, and I mean anything, you call me." Emma offered. "If Fitzgerald is anything like his father, he will be completely useless." Olivia giggled at her mother in law.

"The three of us need to go shopping for baby clothes and furniture. As well as maternity clothes." Lila said, thinking out loud.

"And you know which store has all that stuff under one roof." Emma said with a knowing smile at Lila.

"JCPenny! I know this baby is going to be stylish! We're gonna need coupons and the men's credit cards." The two mothers conspired together like best friends.

Olivia and Fitz watched their parents happily plotting together. The dads were talking about how to put a crib together while the mothers looked at tiny baby clothes on their phones. Fitz pulled his wife into his arms and held her until he heard her contented sigh. Life was good.

As the meal was wrapping up, Fitz requested a dessert 'to go' and put his credit card down on the small, black, rectangular tray with the ticket. His father threw it at him and put his own card down. "Dad. We invited you all to dinner. Believe it or not, I have enough money to pay for it."

"You keep your money, son. You're gonna need it with another Grant on the way." Thomas replied.

Fitz reached down to give his father his card back but Thomas warned, "If you move my card, I'll have to kick your ass in this fine establishment. Do you really want me to do that in front of your wife and unborn child?" Fitz withdrew his hand and rolled his eyes.

Olivia leaned close to her father in law and said, "I was really hoping he would try it. I believe I would have been thoroughly entertained by watching Mr. Big Britches get beaten up."

"Babe!" Fitz exclaimed with a fake wounded voice.

Thomas chuckled at his daughter in law. "Some things obviously change." Olivia hugged her in laws goodbye as the waiter brought out their dessert in a bag. He made eye contact with his son and grinned knowingly at him. "It's good to see that others haven't. Let's go Em." Emma hugged Lila and the two women promised to talk to each other the following day.

Nathaniel shook Fitz's hand once again. "Do you remember when I told you to take care of my baby?" When Fitz nodded at his father in law, he added, "You have double the responsibility now. Take care of both of them." Fitz replied by putting his arm around his wife.

"Leave him alone." Lila said. "You aren't scaring anybody."

"You want me to scare you when we get home?" He asked in a playful voice.

"Get me home and show me what you got, Mister." She flirted.

Olivia made a horrified face and Fitz laughed loudly. "My parents are such horn dogs!"

"You know we are going to be worse than them, right?" Fitz asked as they made their way to the door.

"You promise? Even when I'm nine months pregnant and fat as a whale?" She asked fearfully.

"I'm getting hard just thinking about it." He admitted quietly.

"What?" She asked incredulously and glancing down at his bulging crotch. "Are you serious right now?"

"I think the answer to that question is obvious. Painfully so, I might add." He said holding the bag in front of his center.

"We gotta go! Now!"

"Mmmmm. I love it when you're bossy."

The next morning Olivia was not feeling well at all. She had a terrible headache and her stomach was churning. She felt that if she could just vomit she would feel so much better. She hovered over the toilet but nothing happened. The nauseous feeling wasn't passing though. She groaned loudly alone in the house.

Fitz had left for work earlier than normal because the bakery had a huge delivery coming in this morning and one of his workers had overslept. He had rushed to get there early after receiving the phone call from the tardy employee. Olivia zombie walked into their bedroom to retrieve her phone and called him. He answered on the third ring. "Hey, wife. Miss me already?" She groaned in reply. Fitz panicked. "What's the matter, babe? Are you alright?"

"I hate morning sickness." She whined. "I have a headache and I can't throw up. I think I'm going to call in sick to work today."

"I'll come home right now. I can be there in..."

"No, Fitz. You have to unload that truck. I'm fine. Honest. It's just a magical part of pregnancy. Hopefully it will be over in a few weeks and I'll be back to normal. I'm just going to go back to bed."

"Are you sure? I'll call every employee I have and wake their asses up right now. Someone can get down here and deal with this delivery."

"No. Don't so that. I'm just really tired too. I'm going to call the office and let them know I won't be in today. I'll call you when I wake up. Ok?" She could already feel her eyelids drooping at the thought of more sleep.

"Promise me you will call me when you wake up. And if you start to feel worse I want you to call me. Promise me, Olivia."

Ooooh. She knew he was serious when he called her Olivia. "I promise. On both requests. Have a good day. I love you, husband."

"I love you too, wife. Get some rest and don't forget to call me." He was going to unload this truck like a squirrel on crack and get back home to her.

"I will. Bye." After Olivia ended the call, she grabbed her laptop and typed an email to the partners to let them know she would be out today due to illness. Abby and Yvonne were the only ones who knew she was pregnant and Olivia wasn't planning on telling the others until her first trimester was over. She didn't want to jinx anything. She immediately turned off her laptop, put it on the bedside table, and picked up her cellphone again as she walked back into the bathroom.

"I'm not coming in today, Yvonne. I've already emailed the partners, but I wanted to tell you myself." Olivia told her assistant over the phone. She was currently sitting on the bathroom floor as waves of nausea swept over her once again. She was starving, but didn't know what she wanted and the thought of actually eating anything made her feel nauseous all over again. She remembered her doctor telling her that these symptoms usually only lasted for the first three months, but that they could very well last through her entire pregnancy. She was seriously re-thinking the conversation she and Fitz had about wanting more than one child. The answer might depend on how long the morning sickness lasted.

"Are you alright? Do you need me to bring you some soup? Or ginger ale? Gatorade?" Yvonne suggested.

"Ohmygod. Please stop talking. You're making me want to vomit." She panted out as her stomach churned.

Yvonne made a face from the office and said, "Okayyyy. No food then. That little peanut is really wreaking havoc on your body huh?"

"This has got to be a Grant thing. I would never do anything like this to my mother." Olivia grimaced. "I hope this nausea passes in two weeks. I cannot deal with this for seven more months."

"You poor thing." She sympathized. "Don't worry. I'll take care of everything here. And by that, I mean I will take a long lunch with some shopping mixed in there too." Yvonne waited for the verbal backlash that was sure to come.

"Great. Call me if you need me." Liv groaned before she ended the call and laid her cheek down on the cold tiled floor. She pressed a hand to her belly and begged, "Please have mercy on me and I will buy you a car on your sixteenth birthday." A few minutes later, she gently stood up and got under the blanket on her bed and fell asleep.

Three hours later she woke up. As she lay motionless in the bed she quietly took inventory of how she was feeling. The headache was gone and she was no longer feeling sick. She stretched like a lazy cat and got up. Her belly growled loudly and she asked it, "Are you hungry in there? Me too. What do you feel like eating?" Getting no reply, she thought of food as she shuffled into the kitchen and wondered what she felt like having. Out of nowhere, the desire to consume a cold can of Spaghettio's was overwhelming. Olivia scrunched up her face and wondered where that thought had come from?

She shook her head and looked through the cabinet for something to eat. She saw popcorn, cans of tuna, pasta, some canned veggies, and a few other random things. But nothing that appealed to her stomach and the thoughts of Spaghettio's were becoming stronger. She hadn't had Spaghettio's since she was a kid, and she hadn't been a fan of them then. She shut the wooden cabinet door and turned to the refrigerator for ideas. There wasn't much to pick from in there either. They really needed to go grocery shopping. A thought hit her as she closed the refrigerator door. There are Spaghettio's at the grocery store. She could go pick up a few cans and some other necessities too. Kill two birds with one stone.

After she got dressed and pulled her hair into a ponytail, Olivia grabbed her car keys and walked out the front door. She settled herself in the driver's seat and inserted the key into the ignition. She was about to put the car in drive when she remembered that she had promised Fitz that she would call him when she woke up. She put it back in park, fished her phone out of her purse, and called him. He answered on the first ring and instantly began his rapid fire questions. "Are you ok? Do you still feel bad?"

"Fitz."

"Do you need me to drive you to the hospital? Are you still..."

"Babe!"

"...throwing up? Did you sleep alright?"

"Fitzgerald!" That seemed to stop his questions. She made a mental note to remember that. "I am fine. I woke up about twenty minutes ago. I'm hungry and I'm going to the store. Do you want anything?" She was met with silence on the line and she wondered if he had dropped his phone. "Babe? Are you still there?"

"Yea. I'm here. You used my big first name." He said quietly.

Olivia chuckled over the line. "You called me my big first name earlier this morning."

"I did?" He asked, thinking about it.

"You did. But it's ok. I'm fine. No more headache. No more nausea. I just want some food."

"How about I come home and take you to get something to eat?" He offered.

"I'm actually after something specific. And I know for a fact that it's not served in any restaurant." She chuckled.

"Wait. Are you having your first craving? Awwww. That's so cute, babe. What is it you want?"

"I don't think cravings are cute. They are annoying as hell when it's some random food." She was not telling him what it was.

"What is it?" He asked innocently.

Shit. Now she had to tell him. "Promise you won't laugh?"

"No way! It was in the vows. As long as it's appropriate. Remember?" He could tell she didn't want to tell him. This was gonna be good. "Come on. Just tell me. I bet it's nothing."

"Fine! It's Spaghettio's." She said embarrassed. Olivia nodded her head with a sour look on her face as Fitz could be heard cackling through the line. Her husband was annoying sometimes. She waited a minute for him to calm down with the phone held out away from her body.

"Sp...spaghettio's? Really, babe?" He was full belly laughing at the thought of his wife eating crappy canned kid food. He wiped the tear that had escaped from his eye and cleared his throat, still smiling.

"Are you done now?" She asked with sass.

"I'm sorry. You know how when you're tired everything is funny? I think that's all it was." He listened to see if she believed him.

"Go peddle your shit somewhere else. I'm not buying that." She chuckled.

"Please be careful driving to the store. We need some food at the house anyway. I'm actually really proud of you for willingly going grocery shopping. I know you hate it. And alone too. Well, not exactly alone. But..."

"Ok. Stop talking now." She said.

"Call me when you get back home please so I won't worry."

"I'm going to the store, Fitz. Not across the country. I'll be fine." He was going to be that guy. The one who overly worried about her during her entire pregnancy. If the morning sickness didn't kill her this just might.

"Ok. But can I make a request since you're going to the store?" He tried hard not to laugh. She was not going to find this funny.

"Sure, babe. What do you want?"

"I'd really like a box of Froot Loops." He started laughing uncontrollably as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Olivia hung up on him, rolled her eyes and drove off.

Two hours and a hundred and fifty dollars later, Olivia walked back in the front door of the house carrying several plastic bags full of food. She would have to make the dreaded second trip, but that would have to wait until she ate. She hastily put the bags of cold items in the refrigerator and searched the other bags she had brought in, knowing the canned pasta was in there somewhere. Olivia felt sure she was going to throw up after eating the first bite.

She opened the can and hesitated as to how she should heat it. Normally she would dump something like this in a bowl and nuke it. But she wasn't sure if eating microwaved food was good for the baby, so she dumped the contents into a saucepan on the stove. Better safe than sorry. She'd ask her obstetrician about that on her next visit. She wished she could drink a glass of wine with her pasta, she refused to call it by its name, but knew that alcohol was a no-no now. She grabbed a bottle of water instead and ate a few more of the grapes she had bought at the store while her food got hot.

Once the red sauce was bubbling, Olivia grabbed the handle and poured it into a bowl and looked at it. She looked down at her flat stomach and said, "Please don't make this come back up in a few minutes." She grabbed a spoon and took a taste. In her pregnant mind, this was the best thing she had ever eaten. She tried hard not to inhale the entire bowl, but it was useless. It was gone in under a minute. "Now we wait" she muttered to herself.

With no need to vomit yet, she went outside to bring in the rest of the groceries. She put them all away and sat down, taking a long pull from her water. She felt sleepy again and wondered how that was even possible? Without questioning it, she locked the front door and padded back to her bedroom, taking off her shoes as she went. She crawled back under the blanket and fell asleep once again.

An hour later, Fitz walked in the front door feeling slightly irritated that his wife hadn't called him after she had gotten home from the store. He wondered where she was and guessed she might be taking a shower. Maybe she had fallen? He quickened his steps toward their bedroom and saw her asleep on their bed. He felt like an idiot but that feeling quickly faded as he toed off his shoes and got under the blanket with her. She stirred slightly as he put his arm around her flat belly but she didn't wake up. Fitz fell asleep pretty quickly.

Olivia opened her eyes and just laid there for a minute. Still no headache or nausea. She started pondering that when she realized there was an arm draped around her waist. She could smell the bakery on him before she even turned around to see his face. He was still asleep and she took a moment to watch him. His sandy curls were so pretty she just had to touch them. She ran her fingers through them and when she gazed back at his face, two crystal blue eyes were looking back at her. "Hi." He said.

"Hi. Did you come home to take a nap with us?" She asked.

"No. I came home to kick your ass for not calling me when you got home from the store. The nap side tracked me. I feel better now and I'm over it." He admitted with a playful smile.

"I'm not breakable you know? I can handle going to the store and back without incident. In fact," she said, pausing for dramatic effect, "I believe that you are the only one of us to have had a car accident?"

He touched her nose with his index finger. "But you are the only one of us that can carry a baby inside your body. Besides, your dad basically threatened me. Really, I'm just doing my job."

"If you want to know where I am at all times of the day then you'll have to stay with me around the clock. I'm not going to call you every minute of every day. I'm a grown ass woman and I expect you to treat me as such."

"I'm sorry. I just worry about you even more now because you are carrying our child. I'll try to throttle it back some. Ok?"

"Yes please. How was your day?"

"Apparently not as much fun or as lazy as yours was? I'll have to admit that taking a nap in the middle of the afternoon feels pretty damn good!"

"Yea? I missed you." She admitted.

"Really? How much?" Fitz asked playfully.

"A lot. Especially when I couldn't reach the things on the top shelf at the grocery store." She laughed as his smile faltered.

"I would say pregnancy has turned you into a smartass, but that's not true. You've been a smartass since the day I met you." He lightly and quickly dug his fingers into her ribs causing her to laugh harder.

"You still remember that day? At the dry cleaners?" She asked.

"I'll never forget it as long as I live. That was the day that changed my life for the better."

"Really?" She asked with fake shock.

"MmmmHmmm. I got the hot girl and knocked her up." He boasted. "I love you, wife."

"I love you more, husband." She said with her fingers still in his hair.

"It's not possible." He replied exactly as Olivia knew he would and then moved his face closer to hers and kissed her lips tenderly. "It's probably time for you to get up and cook me some lunch though." He joked.

Olivia's was smiling serenely until her husband finished his sentence. Her eyes suddenly went wide and she vaulted over his body and ran into the bathroom at lightning speed, slamming the door in the process. Fitz was getting up to check on her when he heard her vomiting and stopped in his tracks. "Suddenly I'm not hungry anymore."


	3. Yayyyyy

_Surprise! I'm not promising two chapters a week from now on, but I've got a few more already done & I wanted to share this one with you all. I like being ahead in my writing. It makes days that I don't feel like writing easier to just not write. Thank you for coming along for this ride & being such great encouragers. I can't say it enough!_

Yayyyyy

Fourteen weeks.

It took fourteen weeks for Olivia to stop experiencing morning sickness. She really didn't know why it was called morning sickness. She vomited or felt nauseous at different times of the day and night. She was on the verge of telling Fitz that this baby was going to be an only child until three days ago.

When she opened her eyes the following morning and still hadn't experienced any nausea, she smiled peacefully. Fitz was still asleep and she was sprawled out across his chest. Kinda. Olivia had the beginnings of a little belly. It was not very noticeable, but definitely there nonetheless. She had to adjust her sleeping position a little bit too because of it. Still, most of her body was on his chest. She wasn't giving up her happy place anytime soon.

It was one of those rare mornings where she woke up before her husband. She felt refreshed. And hungry too. That surprised her some since she had been eating crackers and water every morning to battle the nausea that almost always came. Fitz had started putting them on the bedside table every night for her to have first thing in the morning. She smiled down at his peaceful face as her fingers played in his chest hair. She loved that he slept naked and had talked into doing the same after they got married.

He was so handsome. His face was relaxed. That vein on the right side of his forehead that popped out when he was stressed was invisible. He curly hair was in complete disarray, going in all directions. The slight stubble on his face was evident and bringing deliciously wicked thoughts into her mind. These moments didn't come as often as Olivia would like them to, due to her love of sleep, so she silently watched him and treasured it.

The thoughts about the scruff on his face wouldn't let her enjoy him quietly any longer, so she reached her right index finger up and ran it along his jawline. It felt really good on her finger and she wondered how it would feel somewhere else? The thoughts became much more intense. She wanted to feel that on her inner thigh. How to wake him up though? Several ideas came to mind, but she was still contemplating it when his blue eyes suddenly opened and looked up at her. His strong arms came around her waist and his baritone voice said, "Someone is thinking awfully loud this morning."

Olivia slid a little further up his chest and pecked his lips. "Good morning to you too."

A moment of panic came across his face, as he held her closer and he asked, "Is everything ok?"

And there it was. That worry vein on his forehead came to the surface. She rubbed her finger down the length of it and chuckled at him. "Everything is great." She felt him relax under her and the vein started sinking back into his skin.

That was enough convincing Fitz needed. Still, he asked his question again. "Then what are you thinking about so loudly? And so early I might add?"

Olivia shrugged. "This is the fourth day I haven't had any morning sickness. I guess I want to celebrate?"

"Realllly?" He grinned as he drew out the word. His hands quickly made their way to her ass where he immediately started kneading the flesh there. "And how do you want to celebrate, Mrs. Grant?"

She looked into his beautiful blue eyes, which were completely alert now, and arched one eyebrow. Olivia's index finger once again returned to the stubble on his face and she slowly dragged the pad of it across his prickly whiskers. "I want to feel the scruff scratching my skin."

Fitz's hands stopped moving. Pregnancy hormones were truly crazy things. He had just gotten used to the warnings of sensitive and tender places on her body that she wanted him to avoid touching. Now, suddenly, she wanted him to scratch her up with his morning stubble? He was going to be ALL about the second trimester!

He put his hands on her still tiny waist and rolled them over so he was on top of her. Fitz held himself up on his forearms to keep his weight off of her stomach. He leaned down and kissed her hungrily and felt her hands come under his arms to rest on his shoulders. Their tongues seemed just as thrilled to be freely reconciled as the bodies attached to them. They danced together amongst the light moans that came from both throats.

"Are you sure you feel up to it?" Fitz asked full of concern.

Olivia opened her eyes and replied, "Completely sure. Do your worst, big guy."

At that moment, the Tasmanian devil would have looked like a turtle beside Fitz. He was everywhere all at once. He eventually dragged his chin down and around her breasts while his hands groped soft skin elsewhere. He was about to take one of her nipples into his mouth but froze with his opened lips hovering just above it. His blue eyes looked up to her brown ones in question. She smiled at him and asked, "Are you sure you feel up to it?" The brown pebble was immediately enveloped into his warm mouth as he swirled his tongue all over it and then started sucking on it. His satisfaction came when his wife began arching her back and moaning his name. He released it and dragged his chin across the wet hardened nipple. Olivia jumped at the sensation, but Fitz held her down and proceeded to do the same to the other one.

His mouth, tongue, and stubbled face made a trail down her navel that alternated between wet licks, soft kisses, and prickly grazes. The difference in sensations had Olivia squirming uncontrollably underneath him. His tongue traced a lazy circle around her belly button and then his head dipped between her quivering thighs. He repeated the triple treatment to the sensitive cocoa flesh on her inner thighs. Every time he grazed his scruffy chin or cheek against her skin she moaned a little louder. He was so thankful the morning sickness phase was over!

Fitz's morning scruff on her inner thighs could very well become Olivia's new happy place!

After bringing a truly satisfied scream from her lips and turning her into a shaking satisfied woman, Fitz crawled back up her body and grinned at his wife's face. He hoped she was super unproductive at work today and that thoughts of this time with him was all she could think about. "Can I finish the job now or would you rather order me to? Either way is fine with me."

She was still breathing heavy but happily accepted him between her legs. "Do...your worst." She gasped. Fitz pecked her lips happily and, while keeping his weight off of her belly, pushed himself inside her. That made her gasp again and grip his shoulders with her fingernails, leaving little marks on his skin. The second trimester was amazing!

Olivia was looking uncomfortable so Fitz pulled out of her and sat up. He reached a hand out to her, which she took after momentarily pouting over their bodies being separated, and brought her onto his lap. She greedily grabbed onto his back and sank down fully onto his long hard length, causing them both to groan. He kept his hands on his wife's hips to help her rise and fall at the non-stop speed he desired. She didn't mind letting him have control.

"Fitz! Yes! Just...Just like that!" Olivia screamed. Her hands had left his shoulders and were now desperately tugging the curls on the back of his neck. "Ohmygod don't stop!"

Fitz was feeling no pain at the moment. Besides, Olivia's screams and their mixed happy moans, the only sound that could be heard was the bouncing mattress. He felt her start to lean back and put one hand on her back to support her while she did so and the other one on her ass to keep them connected. He slowed down his thrusts and just watched his gorgeous wife.

Her hair was down the middle of her back when she tipped her head back. Her eyes were closed. Her lips were swollen and apparently dry, because she kept licking them with the most blissful look on her face. Fitz decided to change that by leaning a little closer to her and grazing his cheek across her nipple. She brought her head back up so fast it almost smashed into his. "That is the sexiest feeling ever! I don't know why I never thought about utilizing it for my own gain before now?"

"I don't know either, but I'm glad you find it such a turn on right now. It works out good for both of us." He groaned as he pushed back inside her. He glanced at the clock on the bedside table and said, "As much as I hate to say this, we're gonna have to wrap this up soon. We have to get ready for work."

She pouted in reply.

"Babe, don't do that. You know damned well I can't resist that pout."

Olivia continued to pout while holding back a smile.

"You'd better stop it..." He threatened on a laugh. When she only kept the pout on her face, he grabbed her hips and leaned over her, using his weight to tip them back onto the bed. "You asked for it." he warned.

"Yayyyy!" She said gleefully while clapping her hands.

Fitz attacked her mouth as his lean anxious body drove in and out of her repeatedly. He pulled away from her mouth and watched her face as it started contorting, building up to explosion. He'd bet she wasn't thinking yayyy anymore. She probably wasn't thinking at all. Their skin slapping together was the soundtrack Fitz liked most in these moments. Once again, he leaned down and gave her a smoldering kiss. He could tell she was on the brink of exploding, so he swiveled his hips and watched her fall apart in his arms. He followed quickly behind her and then flopped on the bed beside her on his stomach.

After a few moments of breathing hard, Fitz grinned at her, propped himself up, and kissed her belly. He then began rubbing little circles on it. "That was a hell of a good yayyy! If I do say so myself."

Olivia turned toward him, still fairly breathless and said, "I already want you all over again."

Fitz gave her a horrified face in reply. "You're going to kill me within the next three months aren't you?"

She grinned at him and watched as her husband quickly rolled off their bed and walked toward the shower. "You have to come home from work at some point. And then I'll get you." She muttered to herself.

"What did you say, babe?" He called from the bathroom.

"Nothing" she called back. "My big and handsome sex slave" she muttered quietly as she plotted how to get more of him later on that night.

Later on, at work, Olivia sat at her desk and looked down at her barely showing belly. She rubbed loving little circles on it as Fitz had done earlier that morning, and smiled. "I'm so glad that you're done with the morning sickness now. I need to come up with a nickname for you. Something cute that your daddy won't hate."

Abby stood in the doorway of Olivia's office and wondered what her friend was doing? She knocked on the door frame. "Liv? Are you ok?"

Olivia looked up at her oldest friend and smiled. "Yea. Great actually. Apparently I'm done with morning sickness. I was trying to come up with a nickname for the baby." She was glad they could talk about the baby openly now that the partners knew about her pregnancy. They had taken the news really well and congratulated her.

The redhead gave Olivia a goofy smile and said, "Just call it Terry. It's gender neutral. And it's a really funny story when anyone asks where you came up with it."

"I'm not giving my baby a nickname that belonged to a perverted and super curious teenager, Abby." Olivia chuckled. "What do you want anyways?"

"Nothing. I was passing by your door and noticed that you were having a conversation with your stomach and I wanted to make sure it wasn't sucking your brain out."

"You're never babysitting my child."

"That's all it took?" Abby started walking out Olivia's door and called back, "You could have told me sooner."

She looked down at her belly and said, "Aunt Abby is a little crazy. You might as well know that now, Snickerdoodle." She picked up her head and made a face. "Where the hell did that come from?" Olivia thought it over for a few minutes and decided that she liked it. And she was pretty sure Fitz would like it too.

Olivia grabbed a file on her desk, finally determined to do some work when she heard a familiar chatty voice outside her doorway. A huge grin split her face as she went to her door and squatted down to wait for the little lady to come around the corner and see her. As soon as she made eye contact with Olivia, she squealed loudly and shouted, "aunt wibia!" and ran towards her as fast as her little legs could carry her.

Olivia scooped her up in her arms and nuzzled her neck. "Ella Bella! How's my big girl!"

Once her snuggle time was over, Ella put both of her hands on Olivia's cheeks and seriously asked, "Whaya's Unka Fiz?"

Olivia groaned lightly but kept the smile plastered on her face. Unka Fiz had been Ella's favorite person, besides her daddies, since the day she was born. Olivia was a close fourth. Something Fitz brought up every so often. With the patience of a saint her replied, "Uncle Fitz is at work."

The toddler pouted and Olivia stifled a laugh. "Do you want to FaceTime with him for a minute? Then you can see him and he can see you?" The little girl nodded happily and Olivia warned, "Ok. But we can't talk to him very long because he's busy working."

"Mmmkay." Ella wriggled back and forth, telling Olivia that she wanted to get down. Once her feet hit the floor, Ella went into Olivia's office and climbed into her aunt's leather chair behind her desk.

"What are the three of you doing here?" Olivia asked James.

Cyrus followed his daughter while James held onto Olivia's hands and looked her over. "We just came by to say hello. I needed to get out of the house for a little while and guilted Cyrus into bringing us by. You look great by the way! Pregnancy definitely agrees with you, Liv."

"Really? You think so?" She asked. "You can be honest with me James."

"Well, if I have anything negative to say it's that your belly bump is practically non-existent!"

Olivia giggled at James and hugged his neck warmly. "You're my favorite person today! In fact, will you follow me around all day and just keep saying that?"

James grinned at her. "You don't need me to tell you you're gorgeous. You have Fitz to tell you. Now, tell me the truth. Are you feeling okay? Getting enough sleep? Still battling morning sickness?"

"Today is day four of not feeling nauseous." She held her hand up for him to give her a high five.

"New mommies are so cute." James gushed. "Remember the nightmare I was when Ella was born? I'm still not any better and watch her like a hawk, but it's getting easier now that she can talk more. Hang in there, you're almost halfway done."

"Wibiaaaaaa?" Ella called.

Olivia looked into her office and saw Ella trying to facetime with the landline on her desk. "I'm coming sweet pea." She turned to James and said, "Once Fitz talks to her, I'll never hear the end of how she loves him more than me." James chuckled and the two of them made their way into the office.

Watching Unka Fiz and Ella Bella chat together made Olivia smile. He asked her all kinds of questions and patiently listened to her answers and the mixed in rambling she added. At the end of the FaceTime he said, "Love you, Ella Bella."

She had giggled and touched the screen, in hopes of touching him and replied, "Wuv zu too, Unka Fiz." They ended the call and shortly afterwards Cyrus, James, and Ella all gave her warm hugs and said goodbye.

She was back in the groove of working when Abby and Yvonne came into her office. Olivia glanced up at them and said, "What do the two of you want?"

"Lunch." Yvonne simply said.

"It's barely ten o'clock." Olivia chuckled.

"Nooooo. It's actually twelve thirty. And we are starving. And it's been way too long since we've caught up with each other. So go to lunch with us. Please?" Yvonne sang.

Olivia looked at her watch and realized they were right. Wow. Time had flown by this morning. "Yea. That would be fun! Where are you planning on going?"

"Fran's." Abby said smirking. When Olivia shot her best friend an I-don't-think-so face, the redhead chuckled. "I'm kidding. Wherever you want to go. The sky's the limit, Liv." She grabbed her purse and off they went.

Later that evening Olivia cooked spaghetti for dinner and after the kitchen had been cleaned the two of them sat down on the sofa with their laptops and started looking at baby gear. Fitz wanted to start buying stuff and putting it together so they weren't stressed out when the baby actually arrived. He remembered that his sister in law, Robin, had nagged her husband for months to put Elizabeth's crib together all through her pregnancy. He put it off saying they had plenty of time. But Elizabeth made her grand entrance three weeks early and Thad was trying to put it together while his wife was screaming at him to drive her to the hospital. Fitz didn't want that to happen to him.

"Let's see if we can agree on a crib? You find a few you like and I'll look for a couple I like. Local stores only so we don't have to order it or drive a hundred miles to get it. Deal?" Fitz asked with his computer on his lap.

"Deal." Olivia agreed. "And let's also keep in mind that we don't have a theme for the nursery yet. Or know what the gender is. It needs to be a crib suitable for a boy or a girl."

"Good luck." He said followed by puckered lips and closed eyes. Olivia chuckled at her husband and pecked his lips.

Forty-five minutes later Olivia thought her eyes would cross. She felt like she had looked at every crib on planet earth. There were so many colors and styles. And all for a tiny person to just sleep in! She glanced over at Fitz, who was deep into his search with a serious expression on his face. Olivia was thankful that he was taking an active part in all of the things to do with their baby. Baby daddy was so cute. She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Don't be distracting me with sex. I'm not ready to show you mine yet. So you keep yours in your pants preggo!" He said shifting his body and laptop away from her.

Baby daddy was being testy. But she had big interesting plans for him later and let it slide.

Five minutes later, as Olivia sat in silence waiting for Fitz to finish searching, he looked over at her and said, "Done! What did you find?"

Olivia shot him a sour expression. "Here's how this is gonna work. I'm carrying the baby that we are preparing for. You show me yours first."

He smirked at her. "Is that your way of asking to see what kind of cribs I found? Or are you talking about something else entirely?"

"Keep it in your pants, baby daddy. Show me the cribs." She said blandly.

"Fine!" Fitz turned his laptop toward her as she laid her head on his shoulder and looked at his choices.

She pointed at one of them and said, "That one is really cute. Kinda pricey though don't you think?"

"My daughter...or son is not going to sleep in a cheaply made lead paint covered hobo box, Liv. You get what you pay for."

Olivia scrunched up her face and moved her head quickly back and forth like a see saw. She reminded herself that he was going to be that dad. This was going to be a long ass pregnancy. "I agree with that."

"Make that face again and I'll have you on your back making an entirely different one." He warned mischievously.

Olivia closed her eyes, counted to ten, and laid her head back on his shoulder. "I like that crib. A lot actually." She looked at the features and the colors available followed by the price. "No lead paint either. That's a nice bonus too."

"Keep it up, smartass."

After she had looked through all of his choices, she showed him her laptop so he could see the ones she had picked out. A surprised look crossed his face and he turned to look at her. "You could have saved me from giving a lot of threats if you had told me you picked out one of the same cribs that I did." He moved his fingers across the keyboard, clicked the mouse a few times, and the crib was purchased.

She pretended to think about it and said, "That's not as much fun. Besides, I don't think you threaten to do anything you don't actually plan on carrying out." He started to say something but she cut him off by adding, "Besides, great minds think alike."

Fitz pulled her into his lap and kissed her. "We are pretty friggin great." Olivia nuzzled in his neck and smiled at his statement. "How about we start looking for dressers now?"

"Fitz! No! No more furniture. How about we choose a theme for the nursery instead?"

He pulled his head back to look her in the eyes. "Don't you want to wait until we find out what we're having first?"

"I suppose we could narrow it down to one girl choice and one boy choice another night. At least we know which crib we want. And that's more than we knew an hour ago!"

"Yea. Good point. It's progress." He said putting a smacking kiss on her lips.

"Speaking of progress...I'm gonna want some more yayyyy tonight." She said with an innocent smile.

"Didn't you get enough of that this morning?"

"Not even close." She admitted. Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck and crushed her lips with his, catching him completely off guard. She leaned on his chest and toppled them to laying down on the couch. Her hands went immediately to his belt, where she loosened it and unbuttoned his jeans. Her nimble fingers pulled the zipper down and reached for the prize inside.

Fitz groaned into her mouth when he felt her little hand wrap around him. How did she get in there so damned fast? He gave up all hopes of trying to stop her from getting what she seemed so desperate to have and enjoyed himself by grabbing a handful of her ass.

She tore her lips away from his mouth and wrapped them around his iron hard length and began working him fast. Fitz's other hand quickly found its way into the back of his wife's hair, encouraging her. God, it felt fantastic. His hips thrust in time with her skilled mouth's movements. He didn't want it to end but he was on the verge of losing it.

Olivia could tell her was about done and as she pulled back, she let her teeth drag across his sensitive smooth skin. He said words that would make a sailor blush. She loved the sound of it.

"Don't stop!" He panted out. "I'm almost there, babe!"

A few more bobs of her head and Fitz's body stilled and he moaned out her name. Olivia, feeling pretty proud of herself, a lot more satisfied, made every drop disappear. She looked at her husband with a smile. He had his eyes closed. Was panting. Sweat was on his brow. Yea. She did that to him.

When he opened his eyes and looked at her she said, "When I want more yayyyy, I expect to get more yayyyy."

He replied with the only thing that came to his mind. "Yes ma'am."


	4. Back Talk

Back Talk

"Do you know how amazing it is to wake up and go through my day without feeling nauseas anymore?" Olivia said excitedly over the phone to her husband.

"Uhhh, no?" Fitz admitted. His wife was currently four and a half months pregnant and he had noticed some changes about her. Changes that he really liked. For one, she wasn't experiencing any more morning sickness. He knew she had hated having to deal with that part of pregnancy. He was thrilled when it ended so she would stop blaming him for it. She had said that the baby probably got it from him because she could see him doing that to his precious mother. The urge to roll his eyes at her for something he had no control over as a fetus was difficult. He had perfected his timing of the phrase 'yes, dear'.

Olivia also had her appetite back. She still had cravings at random times, but they were few and far between. He enjoyed taking her to dinner after they had both had a long day of work. It saved either one of them from cooking and dishes on the nights they went out. This little woman could eat now! It was fascinating to watch her order a huge meal and then proceed to eat all of it. Of course it was always followed by heart burn. And she would try to hide those little embarrassing things from him, but Fitz could almost always tell when it hit her. He bought some over the counter heart burn medicine a while back and left it in their bathroom claiming to need it himself, but never touched it. He had noticed that the plastic bottle had slowly started emptying a few weeks ago and smiled to himself.

Another change he had noticed was that Olivia had a small belly now. Just a cute little baby bump that he greeted and spoke to every time he saw her. It always made her smile and he knew that was part of his job now that she was showing. She wasn't insecure about it, but he knew she had never had anything but a flat tummy and this little bump was taking her some getting used to. It was very cute on her and Fitz couldn't wait to see her with an even bigger belly. Seeing her bring even more clothes into the house took him some getting used to. His wife had more clothes than the petite section of any department store. He'd bet money on it. Now she was adding maternity clothes to her collection. Still. Seeing that cute little protrusion sticking out from her clothes was a happy reminder of what they had made together.

Fitz remembered the first night his wife wasn't able to sleep in her happy place anymore. Olivia got into bed beside him and attempted to sprawl across her husband's chest. She immediately rolled to one side and Fitz brought his arms up to catch her from falling off of him while laughing the entire time. Fitz thought she would get the hint that it wasn't possible anymore, but she tried again. This time she tried to drape her chest on his while the rest of her body lay beside him. It was no use. The cute growing baby bump wasn't having it. Fitz never wanted to high five a baby so badly in his life. He might actually get some sleep the rest of this pregnancy? She had whined until she eventually fell asleep beside him. Fitz slept like the dead that night!

The change that Fitz loved the most was that Olivia's breasts had grown. Her hips too. She had more curves on her little body and it was a serious turn on for him. Fitz had always touched her when they were alone at home. But now he couldn't keep his hands off of her. He would stare at her while she got dressed in the mornings or when she changed at the end of a long day. Apparently pregnancy made women's bodies warmer? Most nights Liv would take off her clothes and bra and just walk around the house in a cami and her panties and complain that it was too warm in the house. His wife was hotter than she had ever been before. It was a problem for Fitz.

As much as that turned him on, Olivia was going through a phase that Fitz mostly hoped never went away. She was initiating sex all the time. She wanted it constantly. Before they got up to get ready for work. When she got home most nights she wanted him then too. And if he voiced that he wasn't really in the mood she would give him that cute little pout. The one that he couldn't say no to, no matter what the request was. He was hot and tired and getting his brains screwed out on more than a regular basis. Pregnancy was awesome!

"Well it's glorious! I feel like a new person." She gushed. "What would you like for dinner tonight?"

Fitz looked at his watch and his face scrunched up. "Babe, it's only two in the afternoon. Didn't you have lunch today?"

She could hear the worry in his voice and thought it was sexy. "Yes, panic button. I did. I had a huge chef salad."

A salad? No wonder she was thinking about dinner. That's rabbit food!

"And a molten brownie. With vanilla ice cream. It was heavenly." She sighed.

Fitz brought his hands palms up in front of him. Again he wondered why she was thinking about dinner? "I was thinking that tonight we could go for a walk around the neighborhood after dinner. What do you think about that?" He hoped she wouldn't read too much into his suggestion. Olivia was starting to complain that her legs hurt sometimes. So the walking would help out with her circulation problems. And it would help them both to walk off some of those calories. And his penis really just needed one night off.

"That's a great idea. I'll bet it will help with my aching legs?"

Fitz flicked his fingertips across his shoulder a few times, appreciating himself for the suggestion.

"On one condition."

Shit. Fitz silently prayed she wouldn't say sex. For the love of God let this woman be too exhausted to touch me tonight! "Sure, babe. What's that?" He happily chirped in her ear.

"I get to have you for dessert afterwards." She purred.

For fucks sake!

"Mmmmm. I like the sound of that." He said back.

Liar! His brain screamed.

"I've gotta go. I'll see you at home, okay? I love you." She sang.

"See you at home. I love you more." He said with a smile. Fitz put his phone on the counter and rubbed his forehead. His phone chimed an incoming call. He whimpered childishly but picked it up without looking at who it was and said, "Hello?"

"Fitzy! How the hell are ya man?"

"Charlie! Thank God! Someone normal!" Fitz said giddily.

"Ummm...yea. Are you sniffing glue or something over there at the bakery today? You don't have normal friends." Charlie repliedFitz was never this excited to hear from him.

Fitz chuckled into the phone. "Nothing like that. I just haven't heard from you in a while. How have you been? How's Quinn?"

"We're great. Still not pregnant. But hey, it's not for a lack of trying."

"Can we not talk about pregnancy right now?" Fitz asked.

"Uh oh. Trouble in paradise already?"

"No. Nothing like that. Olivia is great. The baby is growing perfectly. We're actually going to find out what the gender is next week. We're both excited." Fitz paused and wondered if all the baby talk was discouraging to Charlie? "Hey. Why don't you and Quinn come over for dinner on Saturday? I'll need to ask Liv first, especially after that Rob surprise almost two years ago. I can call you this week to let you know what time?"

"Yea. That sounds fun. You know I'll need to talk to my old lady first too. It's funny how we are grown ass men but aren't allowed to make plans." Charlie said in a voice filled with sarcasm.

"Yea. It's hilarious." Fitz deadpanned.

"Call me later in the week. It'll give us time to convince both of our wives that we need man time."

"Jesus. Don't say it to her like that, Charlie. She will shoot you with her new crossbow!" Fitz warned.

"Gotta go. You're boring me now. Bye Fitzy."

"Bye, Charlie."

Later that afternoon when Fitz got home Olivia was in her typical eveningwear. Or lack thereof. She was dancing in the kitchen to some song he had never heard of before. He threw his keys in the bowl meant for their keys and turned to watch her. She had her back to him and he stood mesmerized by her swaying hips. Her perfectly curved pregnant hips. All of the thought out protests from earlier that day vanished from his mind at the sight of her. His girl was smokin' hot. And he wanted her. NOW!

Olivia spun in a circle and caught his gaze. Startled, she gasped loudly. "Fuck me, Fitz. You scared..."

"I intend to." He interrupted, with dark eyes. He strode to her in two steps and gently put his hand around her waist and spun her around so her back was to his chest. He could feel her little belly poking out from the bottom of her cami and his right pinky rubbed circles on the exposed skin.

"You do?" She said seductively as she melted into his chest. Olivia reached up and behind his head to play in the curls there.

He leaned down and started kissing her neck and replied, "MmmmHmmm." His left hand brushed his wife's hair aside, giving his mouth better access to the soft cocoa skin there, then slithered down her body and stopped at the top of her panties. He felt her try to suck in her stomach to make it easier for his fingers and he smiled into her neck between kisses. She wiggled and writhed and began breathing heavy in eager anticipation for his long fingers to do their magic.

After a minute of waiting Olivia spoke up. "Fitz?"

His right hand moved up and started pulling the tiny strap off of her shoulders. He just needed a peek, he told himself. He lied to himself all the time though. "Yea?"

"Make your damn move!"

"Is my wife giving me pointers on how to screw my wife?" He said chuckling softly. He pulled her arm, and right breast free from the cami top and began expertly rolling her nipple between his fingertips. His left hand dipped into her panties and started caressing her center. Olivia moaned and grinded her ass into him. "I've been making you scream just fine all by myself for two years now. I think I got this, Liv." He whispered into her ear as she writhed even more.

It didn't take long for Olivia to scream once again under his expert hands. For the millionth time she wondered how this man had been single when she met him? How did she get to be the lucky one to snatch him up and keep him all to herself? At that moment she didn't care, because Fitz was all hers. He is her everything and right now she was feeling so good, she would pretty much agree to anything he said.

"Do you remember the very first time you invited me over here? For sex?" Fitz asked into his wife's ear, as he held onto her through her heavy breathing. When she nodded her head wildly he grinned at the back of her head and said, "Of course you do, you naughty little nympho. Do you remember the first thing you said to me when I got here? The very first thing?"

Olivia licked her parched lips and thought about his question. How the hell was she supposed to remember that? It had been a long time ago. Drawing a complete blank, she panted out the one word that came to mind. "Hi?"

"No, ma'am." He said in a voice above a whisper. "You said, and I quote, 'Do you want to sit on the couch and talk?' Do you remember that?" She nodded again. "And do you remember what my reply was, Mrs. Grant? If your clouded brain can remember that it will tell you what my move is."

Olivia didn't have to think about this one. Her breath caught and she picked up her head and looked into the living room.

"Oh. So you do remember? What was it I said?" He walked them towards the kitchen table and stopped. Fitz could feel her body vibrating with need under his hands and it made it harder for him to control his own need. But this was a fun walk down memory lane and he intended to follow it through.

She could feel it everything he had done to her that day if she thought hard enough. She squeezed her thighs together in anticipation with her eyes boring a hole into their couch. She didn't think she could talk right now as the memory came rushing back into her mind. It had been magical. Just like it was every time they were together. It was the first time she called Fitz 'babe'. He was like a man on a mission that day.

Fitz stepped out from behind her and stood directly in front of her. Her eyes were glazed over and he could practically see the movie of that afternoon playing through her eyes. She probably didn't even see him there. He tugged the bottom of her top up and over her head. "You're not very good at this. Maybe a consequence will help you tell me?"

At the word consequence Olivia's head snapped to his face. But it was too late. Her husband sat down in the chair behind him, put his hands on her ass, pulled her body closer, and sucked on her nipple hard. Her hands went into his hair and she grabbed two handfuls of it and moaned loudly. When he started gently nibbling on the hardened pebble her legs became like jello. Fitz pulled her onto his lap, straddling him.

He released it and looked up at her. "What was it that I said? Do you remember now?"

Olivia nodded and without any further prompts stuttered out, "Y..You said thaaaaat we'd get to the couch later. That you wanted to bend me over it."

"Exactly. So. Unless you have any more helpful pointers, that's my move. We'll have to make a small adjustment, but I am going to make you scream so loud that Charles might end up calling the police." He wondered what she thought of that plan?

Good God this man was sexy. Olivia was turned on beyond belief. If their neighbor did end up calling the police they would have to either break the door down or wait until Fitz was done with her. She wanted him right now. She looked into his wild blue eyes and said, "Are you gonna talk about it all night? Or get to it?"

Fitz growled in his throat, stood up abruptly, and carried her to the couch. He deposited Olivia on her feet facing the back of the couch. She put her hands on the head rest and gripped it tightly as he jerked her panties down. Instead of leaning over the back of the sofa, Olivia was braced against it with her ass sticking out in anticipation. She was already trembling from the sheer excitement of what was coming. She immediately decided to tease in these moments a little more often in the future. She knew the reward was worth it.

Back talking Olivia was sexy as hell. A tad frustrating, but hey, that also added to his arousal somehow. Fitz watched her standing there with his eyes fixated on her perfect ass. He was going to tear her up. He took his clothes off quickly, his eyes never leaving the prize. Even when she checked him out every so often when she looked over her shoulder. He never smiled or spoke. She wanted him to stop talking. That was fine by him. She was the one who got very loud during sex. He'd just make sure to remind her of that fact and make her scream for a while.

When he was completely naked, he silently grabbed her hips. He heard his wife whisper 'yes' as he did so. His thick fuzzy thigh wedged between her legs and widened her stance and then he raised his knee and dragged it across her core. She tried to grind on it, but he wouldn't let her control anything but her own voice. Fitz slid his hand down to her inner thigh and slowly slid it up between her silky legs. Again she tried to control where it went, but instead, he reached down to guide himself to her opening.

Without warning he suddenly rammed into her all the way to the hilt. She moaned his name and when he checked, Fitz noticed that her knuckles were white from gripping the head rest so tightly. He smirked at the back of her head and thrust in and out of her several times nonstop. His grip on her hips was sure to leave a bruise. She'd have to audibly ask him to ease up before he'd do it though. He was waiting to hear what Olivia's first words would be as he silently continued hammering into her.

He wasn't saying anything. All it took was being sassy to him? Olivia smiled and took what he was giving her. Her body felt like a live wire and she was loving it. She tried to be quiet like her husband was, but she couldn't help but start panting out his name repeatedly. Fitz stilled and she wondered what he was up to now? Did he want her to tell him what she wanted? By now, she knew that her husband was aware of exactly what she liked. Everything. He still hadn't moved a muscle and she was getting impatient. She really didn't want to say a word, but dammit she wanted more!

"Fiiiiitz?" she whined out.

Still he didn't move.

Olivia looked over her shoulder and was met with ice blue eyes and a smirk on his handsome face. He wasn't going to make this easy for her. "Babe? Can you please move?"

He pulled out of her very slowly and pushed back in at the same pace.

"Babe, not like that."

He made the lazy pace a little lazier but kept his eyes on his wife the entire time. She was getting pissed off and he was enjoying it way too much.

She squinted her eyes at him in a lethal gaze. "If you don't go back to being a jackhammer, I'm going to bed."

He stilled again but finally spoke. "Are you going to talk back me ever again?"

"Hell yes I'm going to back talk you!" Olivia shouted. "Our relationship started with back talk."

"That's my girl." With new purpose Fitz pummeled into her over and over. Both of them were groaning and grunting and still he kept the wild pace up. "You are so hot when you talk back to me. Why am I just realizing that?" He panted out.

"Ohmygod!" She dropped her head and continued breathing heavily. "I don't know...But don't stop!"

"Don't...plan...to" he huffed. "You feel so good." In the excitement of the moment, Fitz slapped her ass. Olivia yelped and he thought she might not like it. 'Too much?" He asked.

She stuck it out even further and moaned out, "Uh uh!"

Both of them were thinking the same thing at that moment. Pregnancy sex is amazing!

"I...I'm about to..." Olivia screamed loudly and Fitz genuinely worried that Charles would rush over here and ask who was being murdered. But he loved that sound coming from her and a moment later he followed behind her.

They were both panting loudly and were covered with sweat while their bodies hummed. Fitz crumpled to the floor and he brought his wife's little body down into his lap. "Let's just sleep on the floor tonight." She said between heavy breaths. "I don't think I can get up any time soon."

"I didn't even want sex tonight." Fitz admitted.

Olivia turned her head to face him. "What? But earlier..."

He put his finger on her lips to silence her. "Because you have been relentless with my body lately. I just needed a break, Liv."

"May I remind you that you initiated sex tonight?"

"I'm aware of that, smartass." Fitz wasn't even aware that he had started rubbing her belly again.

"Care to explain yourself then?" She put her hand on top of the one on her belly and started rocking them back and forth as they talked.

"When I walked in the door you were dancing. And half dressed. And...I had to have you. I can't explain it any better than that. You're sexy as hell, babe. I couldn't help myself."

"So you're saying that I control...Whoa!" Olivia stilled her movement as did Fitz's hand.

"What's the matter?" He asked in a panic filled voice?

"Shhhh! Hang on a second." She ordered.

Fitz looked around the room, wondering what the hell they were doing. And then he felt it. "What the hell was THAT?"

Olivia giggled. "That was our baby kicking."

"Really?" He asked softly in a voice filled with wonder.

"Yup. I've been feeling fluttery type feelings for a while, but that was definitely a kick."

Fitz picked her up and sat her sideways in his lap, put his arm around her back, keeping his other hand on her belly. "Do you think she'll do it again?" He asked seriously.

"Ummm. She?" Olivia joked. "You think it's a girl?"

"Liv. I have a way with small women. Of course it's a girl. Do you think she'll do it again?" He asked impatiently.

His wife laughed at him, but pecked his lips because it actually made sense. "I don't know. Let's sit here for another minute and see." Olivia loved seeing Fitz be excited about their baby. He was the cutest baby daddy ever.

Sure enough, another movement was felt not long afterwards. Fitz removed Olivia from his body and laid her down on the couch. He knelt beside the sofa and started talking to her belly. "Hello in there. I'd kick you back but I really don't think your mother would appreciate that." He laughed. "We are so excited to find out if you are a boy or a girl. You and I both know you're a girl though."

Olivia rubbed his hair and lovingly watched him talk to her bare belly.

"We'll just let mommy live in the land of delusion though."

Olivia gently pulled on his hair causing him to yelp.

"We love you so much..." Fitz picked up his head and looked expectantly at his wife. "Liv, we're got to pick some actual names soon."

"I kind of gave baby Grant a nickname." Olivia said sheepishly.

"What are you calling my daughter, Liv?" He all but demanded.

She gave him a look. "Our daughter, Fitz. Or son. And I'm calling our baby Snickerdoodle."

He gave her a look of his own. "Really, Liv? Snickerdoodle? Why can't we call her...or him, Duff?"

"I was waiting for that." She chuckled. Olivia pinched his cheek lightly and said, "Not gonna happen, husband. Besides, we still have four and a half months to go and I don't really want to picture an old bald guy when I'm talking to my belly. Four months is plenty of time to choose two actual names." She pulled him up for a kiss and then changed the subject as she held his cheeks in her hands. "I want you to talk to me when you have things to tell me. I don't want you to keep them to yourself to appease me. This marriage is fifty-fifty, Fitz. We don't keep things from each other. Ok?"

He touched his lips to his wife's and heard that contented sigh of hers. "I will. I promise. I love you so much."

"I love you too. Now pick me up and put me into bed. I'm tired!"

"Yes, dear." He said with a laugh.


	5. Surprise

Surprise

Friday afternoon Olivia and Fitz sat in visitor chairs at the hospital and waited for her name to be called. They were having a quiet conversation as they waited, throwing baby names back and forth to each other. Fitz was only giving girl names while Olivia was suggesting both boy and girl names as she rolled her eyes at him.

"What about Sylvia?" He asked.

Olivia gave her husband a sour face and stated, "If we have a daughter, her name is not going to be Sylvia!"

Fitz laughed at his wife. "What's wrong with it?"

"If it's a girl, her name has already been decided." Olivia said.

"Really? No one informed me that my daughter already has a name. And that it's apparently set in stone?"

Olivia shrugged at him. "You should pay better attention to life then, Mister."

He tried recalling any conversation that the two of them had had pertaining to baby girl names. Other than the ones where he himself called them out and listened to her say no. Fitz couldn't think of any. "Are you going to tell me what it is?"

"I've got to pee so bad! I wish they would hurry up and come get us." She whined, looking at the door.

"Liv? Tell me the name." Fitz said, turning towards her in his seat.

A tall blonde nurse opened the door and walked out into the waiting room. "Olivia Grant?" She looked around the room and smiled as Olivia and Fitz stood up. "How are you doing today, Mrs. Grant?"

"She's pushing it. That's how she's doing." Fitz grumbled. Olivia chuckled, and he put his hand on the small of her back, guided her through the door, and down the hall to the room they were shown to.

The nurse helped Olivia sit up on the narrow paper lined table and told her the technician would be in shortly. Fitz sat in the lone chair in the room and looked at his wife expectantly. "What?" She asked.

"I believe you have some information for me?"

A knock on the door sounded.

"In the history of the world, no one in the medical profession has ever been this prompt! These people are conspiring against me to find out the name that you won't tell me." He quickly whispered as the door opened.

"Hello. I'm Mr. Williams and I'll be the technician performing the ultrasound today." He shook hands with both Olivia and Fitz. "First question. Do you want to know the sex of the baby if he or she cooperates?"

"Yes." They both said in unison.

"Ok. Next question. Are you ready to get this over with?" He asked Olivia.

"Yes please. My bladder is screaming!" Olivia said as she fidgeted on the table.

"Let's get started then." He set his clipboard down and sat on a rolling stool situated near the end of the table. He helped Olivia lay down and as she rolled up the bottom of her shirt, he picked up a tube of gel and started squirting it on her belly. "This might be cold" he warned a little too late. Olivia gasped as soon as the cool gel touched her bare belly but then settled down.

Mr. Williams picked up the transducer and began rubbing it across Olivia's belly. Immediately grainy black and white images could be seen on the screen standing to the right of Olivia. Both she and Fitz craned their heads to get a better look. The loud constant swishing sound of the baby's heartbeat could be heard throughout the room. Olivia grinned at Fitz and then her eyes went back to the little screen.

The technician explained that he would take some measurements of the baby and that it would take a few minutes to complete. Olivia and Fitz watched as he moved the mouse over the picture of their baby. "There's the head." He explained, pointing to it. "There's his or her belly."

"What is that?" Olivia said squinting. "Is that a tiny hand?"

Mr. Williams smiled at her and said, "It sure is. It looks like your little one is waving to you." The three of them watched as baby Grant waved its hand back and forth.

"Wow." Fitz breathed as he looked mesmerized by the screen. "She's gonna be a people person. Just like her dad." He said proudly.

"Fitz!" Olivia chuckled. "We don't know if it's a boy or girl yet."

"Let's see if baby will cooperate today and make the task of picking out a name a little easier for mom and before he or she arrives." He moved the transducer over her belly, trying different angles in order to get a peek at the gender. After a few minutes of trying Mr. Williams said, "Well, it looks like this baby is being stubborn right now. I'll take some pictures for the two of you to take home and then we'll try once more to figure out what you're having."

"So, you're saying she's got some of her mother in her too? It's good to know ahead of time that I will be dealing with two stubborn females soon." Fitz smiled and leaned down to peck his wife's lips. She bit his bottom lip lightly, making him wince.

"I didn't say that, Mr. Grant. You did. And as excited as you are at the possibility of having a girl, there is still a fifty percent chance it will be a boy." Mr. Williams moved the transducer around some more, pausing to take pictures for mom and dad.

"Thank you for trying to talk some sense into him, but I'm afraid it's hopeless with Fitz. Only when we find out definitively what the gender is, that's when he will accept what is. Until then, he knows it's a girl." As Olivia watched Mr. Williams take pictures of their baby, she said, "I wished we had gotten one of the baby waving earlier. That was cute."

The technician looked over at Olivia and smiled. "Actually, I did take a picture of that. It was the first picture I took."

"Thank you so much! That one is going in a frame on my desk at work." Olivia admitted. "Which one do you want, babe? I'm going to give one to your parents and one to mine. So pick yours out."

"I'll wait for the picture that proves it's a girl. She'll cooperate this time. And if she does, it just means that she has a little more of me in her than you. It will make it easier for me to deal with her stubbornness." Fitz gloated. Olivia said nothing.

He snapped a picture of the baby sucking its thumb, its profile, it's big foot, and tiny hand. The technician pulled the roll of pictures off from the narrow printer and handed them to Olivia. She smiled as she looked at each photo of their little miracle. "Let's see if we can catch baby Grant off guard and figure out what kind of magician we are dealing with?"

Olivia was immune to feeling the transducer moving over her belly by now. And she had long forgotten about her strong need to relieve her bladder as well. If they didn't find out what they were having today, that was ok with her. But still she hoped to have it settled sooner rather than later.

"Oh!" Mr. Williams exclaimed.

"What is it?" Olivia asked, full of concern.

"Nothing is wrong. I'm sorry if I alarmed you, Mrs. Grant. I got a good glimpse of the sex of your baby, but it moved before I could take the picture. For proof," he added looking up at Fitz with a smile.

Fitz could feel it. This guy wasn't going to stop until he got him the photo he wanted of his daughter. Olivia rolled her eyes. This technician, while good at his job, was playing right into her husband's game. She put her hands on the side of her belly and rubbed little circles with her fingertips, away from the gel.

The technician looked at Olivia from where his eyes were glued to the machine and smiled. "I think mommy has the magic touch?"

Olivia frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The baby is in position right now for me to tell you positively, what you are having. Maybe it was from you rubbing your belly? Maybe not. But I'll give you the credit since you're the mommy. Are the two of you ready?"

Fitz held Olivia's hand and they both nodded with nervous smiles on their faces.

"It's a boy!" The technician said enthusiastically. He watched Fitz's face and prayed he didn't act like an ass in front of his wife over the sex of their baby.

"Babe? Are you ok?" Olivia worried about how Fitz was taking the news that he wasn't having a daughter. She held his hand and watched for disappointment. "I know you had your heart set on a girl but..."

"A boy? Really?" Fitz's eyes were huge and his mouth was in the shape of an O. He paled for a moment. "Are you sure?" He demanded. The technician nodded mutely and continued to watch Mr. Grant's face. When realization fully hit him, Fitz's face split into a huge grin and he looked down at Olivia's stomach and intertwined his fingers with hers. "There are no boys in our family besides my brother and I. Just lots of girls. We're having a son." He leaned down and kissed his wife. "A boy! I'm so excited!" He started pacing around the small room and said, "We've got to come up with a name for him because Snickerdoodle ain't gonna cut it, Liv. We need to buy the nursery stuff. We need to start painting his room. We can finally buy him cute little blue clothes. We've got a lot to do!"

"Babe?" Olivia called. "Fitz!" She said a little louder and held out her hand toward him. "Come here and just enjoy the moment." He quickly walked back to where she was laying, took her hand, and kissed it. "Look at how handsome he is. I'll bet he has curly hair when he's born just like his daddy?"

Fitz had snapped back into the present and to his playful self. "Grant men are very handsome. Well, except for Thad. Personally, I think he was adopted. That would explain a lot." He grinned again and said, "I cannot wait to rub it in his face that we got a boy on the first try!"

"Fitz." Olivia warned.

"Babe! We're having a son! Someone to carry on the Grant name for another generation. This is perfect." He smiled at her. "I know I went on about the baby being a girl, but maybe we'll get a girl the next time? I'm really glad we are having a boy. I hope he's just like me."

As the technician wiped off Olivia's belly and listened to their playful conversation with a smile on his face, Olivia said, "Fitzgerald Thomas Grant! We talked about that! You are not going to corrupt our son. He's going to be an angel from heaven, not a furniture breaking heathen!"

Fitz just smiled at his wife and spoke to her belly. "I am going to teach you so much fun stuff. We are going to make your mommy gray haired by the time you are five."

Olivia chuckled at her husband and affectionately rubbed his head as her two guys plotted. She was in for it with these two. She just had a feeling. But she wouldn't have it any other way. She knew that when they eventually had a little girl, Fitz would be toast! She would have him wrapped around her little finger for the rest of his life. She held onto that hope and let him enjoy his happy day.

"Loving wife?" Olivia had finally peed, they had left the hospital, and he had stopped in a drive through to get her something to snack on. They were headed home now. Olivia was happy and wasn't paying him any attention.

"Carrier of my son?" He was annoying her on purpose. Or buttering her up. It depended on how you looked at it. He was smirking from the driver's seat.

"What?" She said between bites.

"My beautiful queen?" She was going to slap him any minute. But he was on a roll. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.

"Stop sucking up to me, Fitz and just tell me what the hell you want? I'm trying to eat here." She could get used to those kind of buttering up words. Maybe she'd remind him of them the next time he was being irrational. He really was a cute baby daddy.

"Babe? Can we go into the baby store and look around real quick? Please?" Fitz patiently asked.

Olivia almost laughed at him. He had turned on the charm and changed into an innocent kid in the span of two minutes. She picked up his hand and said, "Of course. I want to look at all the blue stuff too, babe."

"Hurry up and feed my boy so we can go in."

"We're not even there yet!"

"By the time you're done we will be. Wanna race?"

"Fitz! Don't you dare speed with me and your son in this car. I will pull my maternity pants up over my belly and kick your ass!"

Fitz laughed at the thought of it and brought her hand to his mouth to kiss it. "This poor boy is in for a crazy raising!"

Olivia reached over to push the lone curl off her husband's forehead. "Yea, but he wouldn't be more loved by anyone else." When Fitz pulled into a parking space at the store Olivia brought his face close to hers for a kiss. "I love you, husband."

Fitz rested his forehead on Olivia's. "I love you more, wife." After a moment he added, "Hurry up and shovel that in. I want to buy my son his first baseball glove!"

Olivia giggled and set the food back in the bag it came from. She really was in for it with these two. But it was going to be so much fun. The two of them walked in the store hand in hand with big smiles on their faces.

The proud parents walked into the house a few hours later, both loaded down with bags full of stuff for their unborn son. Not only had Fitz chosen a baseball glove, he had bought a ball that represented every sport. Except golf, because everyone knew golf wasn't really a sport. He had talked his wife into a sports themed nursery as well.

Olivia had wanted something with bears or maybe even a nautical theme. But Fitz had used all of his sweet-talking charms on her, promising her everything under the sun, if she would give in to the nursery theme. She was just glad that he wasn't upset that they weren't having a girl, so she caved in. It was great seeing her husband this excited and happy over their son. It was contagious too!

She had picked out seven baby outfits ranging from the cute and cuddly to downright handsome. If she had gone this overboard with the baby clothes, she wondered what kind of damage the two grandmothers had already done? She and Fitz had decided they would tell their parents the big news about having a male Grant some other way than going to dinner. It was getting kind of repetitive.

"Babe! Look at this! My son is going to rock this hat!" He giddily held up the bakers hat that Fitz had insisted on buying as Olivia shook her head back and forth. Now though, she giggled at her husband. He was in over the moon baby daddy mode. "We got so much great stuff for him! We have got to get some paint this weekend and get started on his room. Once we get it painted we can set up his crib."

She was beyond tired and Fitz chattering on about everything he planned to do this weekend made her yawn. She didn't want to think about it tonight. "How about we worry about all of that tomorrow or Sunday? I'm tired, Fitz."

He stopped running around and set the small hat on the couch. "I'm sorry. I kinda lost my mind for a minute or two. How about we go soak in the tub together? We haven't done that in a really long time? What do you say?"

She smiled at him. "That sounds kinda perfect actually."

"You go get something to wear to bed and I'll start the water. Meet you in there." He pecked her lips and smacked her ass before she walked away. He stood there for a minute and pictured them giving baths to a tiny little squirming baby who wailed mercilessly the entire time. Then giving nightly baths to a little dirt covered toddler. And finally, a little boy with a missing front tooth and insisted he wasn't dirty. The thoughts made him grin. He was gonna rock this dad thing! Fitz shook himself out of his daydream and made his way back to the bathroom where he began the task of filling the tub. His little boy wasn't here just yet, but his wife needed some time and attention too. He'd have to try harder to live in the moment instead of slipping off into the land of what-to-come.

Olivia walked into the bathroom stark naked and tenderly dipped her toe into the water. It was a tad on the warm side, but it felt heavenly to her skin and she stepped in and sat down, putting her arms on the sides of the tub and sighing contentedly. She remembered back to the times she and Fitz had enjoyed baths together and wondered where he was? "Babe? You coming in?" She called out.

Fitz heard her and knew she was already in the water. Just as he had planned. He grabbed the small box and brought it in their bedroom. He set it on their bed and began stripping off his clothes, throwing them everywhere but the hamper. She wouldn't get mad tonight though, he knew. He put the little box under her pillow and then walked into the bathroom.

"Where were you?" She asked with her eyes closed.

"Just locking up. I had to run an errand too." He replied smoothly as he stepped into the tub and settled behind her.

Olivia leaned against his chest and felt that nothing in the world could be as perfect as tub time with her husband. It was so relaxing. "Are you running errands in the nude now?" She chuckled.

"I was in the house the whole time, smartass. But this one was special and had to be done tonight." He kissed the top of her head.

"Are you gonna tell me what it is?"

"Maybe later?" He said playfully. "Let's just relax right now." Fitz took a deep breath in and put his hand on her leg. He wondered why they had stopped taking baths together? He vowed to make sure they got into the tub as long as she was allowed to take baths in her pregnancy. Maybe at that point when she couldn't take baths anymore he'd give her a sexy sponge bath? Maybe he'd buy an outfit to wear for those occasions? That could be fun. He snapped himself back to the present and wrapped his arms around his wife. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, babe. Are you ok?" She asked, hearing the love in his voice.

"I'm great. I just want you to know that I'm excited."

"Oh, that's obvious to a blind man!" She chuckled.

"No. What I mean is, I don't want my excitement over the baby to ever overshadow how I feel about you. I don't want you to feel lost in the shuffle when I'm bound to ramble on about him. Or when I make plans. I want to remember that this started out with the two of us. That's the core of whatever happens in our lives. Everything else is, well, icing on the cake. You are the most important person in my life and always will be. I just don't want you to ever forget that. Okay?"

Olivia turned around in the tub and faced him. She gave him her best smile and brought a hand up to caress his cheek. "You are everything to me too. It's ok to get excited about the baby. I'm glad you're excited. I honestly thought you would lose your mind when we found out it's a boy? It's very cute to see baby daddy coming out more and more."

"Yea? How cute?" He flirted.

"Let me finish. Things are going to be different after the baby gets here. It's going to be sleepless nights, midnight feedings, more laundry than we will know what to do with, and so much more. But we can do all of that, because we love, support, and encourage each other. There's no one I'd rather go through life with than you. I don't feel forgotten or overlooked in any way. You always make me feel special and loved more than I ever thought possible. So don't doubt that. Okay?"

"How was I the lucky one to get you?" He asked as he played with a strand of her hair.

"I ask myself that all the time too. We need to stop questioning it and realize we were meant to be together. I love you, baby daddy."

"It's Lord Commander of Orgasms. And I love you more." Her giggle was like music to his ears.

The two of them got out of the tub, dried off, and got under the blanket. Olivia had long ago given up on her happy place until the baby came, so she laid her head on his arm and snuggled into his side. She situated her pillow as she did most nights and felt something under it. "What the hell?"

"What's the matter?" Fitz asked in a fake aggravated voice.

"Something is under my pillow."

"Well, move it so we can go to sleep. I'm tired and have a full day of painting ahead of me tomorrow. And grocery shopping because my son is eating everything in sight." Olivia giggled at him and pulled out the small item.

She sat up and turned on the bedside lamp as her husband groaned. It was a small black box. She knew immediately Fitz had left it there. She looked over at him and smiled at his closed eyed face. "What have you done now?"

"What are you talking about, woman? I'm trying to sleep. Can you please turn off that light? My retinas are burning!" He listened to her open the box and kept his eyes closed. He heard her little gasp and peeked over at her.

"But...How? When did you do this?" She sputtered.

Fitz propped himself up on his elbow and gave her his best lopsided smile. "Remember when we were in the store looking at rocking chairs? And then you dashed off to look at the boring clothes? This kid doesn't need as many clothes as you have, by the way. Well, I ditched you and went into the jewelry store across the street."

"You left me there?" She said, acting outraged.

"Did you notice? No! You didn't." He said cockily. "I'm stealthier than 007!"

"Anyways...?"

"Yea. Anyways. Me and the boy bought mommy a little something special. Because you are special to both of us. He still owes me money for his half by the way. Do you like it? We can swap it if you want to?"

She pulled it close to her chest and said, "You are not taking it anywhere! It's my first present from my favorite guys." Olivia looked down at it and smiled. It was a silver heart charm and the stamp on it said 'It's A Boy' with two little footprints on it.

"Well, as Grant men, we have great taste. I just wanted you to have something special to remember today with. It'll fit on the bracelet Abby and Yvonne got you for the wedding."

"How do you know that?" She questioned.

"Because I called SuperGirl as I was running across the street." Olivia opened her mouth to say something but her cut her off. "I didn't tell her what I was buying specifically or why. I knew you'd want to be the one to share that news with your besties."

Olivia leaned close to him and held him tightly for a minute. He was perfect. Well...Perfect for her. She pulled back from his embrace and said, "I absolutely love it. Thank you for making me feel so special. And for making me a mommy. I really can't wait for him to get here now."

"Well, Grant men do a good job at everything. It all started back when..."

Olivia rolled her eyes, got under the blanket once again, and pretended to be asleep. "Goodnight, Fitz."

Fitz grinned at his wife. Love wasn't a big enough word for how he felt about her. "Nite, baby momma."


	6. Wise Words

_This chapter is super long. I couldn't decide where to trim anything, so I just left it. I hope that's ok with you all?_

Wise Words

Olivia was NOT getting up early on a Saturday morning. Not even for Fitz. She sleepily informed him that he could pick out any color paint that he wanted for the nursery if he would just let her sleep in peace! He had happily kissed the top of her head and raced out of the house before she changed her mind. Once she heard the front door close, Olivia smiled and fell back asleep.

A couple of hours later, Fitz came home with a gallon of paint, rollers, a paint tray, drop cloths, blue painters tape, and...He couldn't remember what else he had bought. But he was excited. Today he was going to paint his son's bedroom! And then put the crib together. And then later him and Liv were going to tell their parents the happy news that they would be getting a grandson. He already had that planned out too. But he had to run it by his wife first, for approval.

He put everything on the kitchen table as quietly as he could, knowing Olivia was probably still asleep. He looked at his watch and decided to brew some coffee before he got started. Within minutes the delicious smell of morning java juice had him happily filling up a mug of it. After adding some cream and sugar to the piping hot liquid he took his first sip and turned around to look back over the items he had purchased.

Olivia came out of their bedroom in her normal evening attire and took the mug out of his hand, taking a big sip and sighed happily. She looked at the bags covering the table while Fitz stuck his tongue out at the back of her head before turning to the coffee pot to make himself another cup. "Don't stick your tongue out at me unless you're going to do something productive with it."

Shocked that she knew he had done it, Fitz asked "But...How did you...?"

Olivia chuckled at her husband. "Moms have eyes in the back of their heads. It's the first rule of motherhood."

He made a face at her but kept his tongue in his mouth this time. Testing her, he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind her and playfully asked, "Do you want me to do something productive with my tongue?"

"We have a pretty full morning already. I need to look at this paint and make sure it's suitable for the nursery. And if I do like it, we've got to get started with the painting. I want our son to come home from the hospital with his room all ready."

Fitz pulled his hands away from her waist but turned her body around to face him. With his eyebrows up he said, "Need I remind you of what you said before I left this house earlier? You said..."

Olivia patted his cheek. "I know what I said. I'll pretty much say anything to get more sleep, Fitz. You should know that about me by now?"

Fitz patted the can of paint with a sarcastic smile on his face. "This is the color the nursery is going to be. If you don't like the color, then I suggest you get up next time and go with me so that your valuable input can be made known."

Olivia chuckled at him. He was so cute when he thought he was the boss. If she didn't like the color, they would be going back to the paint store. Simple as that. "Maybe I should let your tongue be more productive? You're quieter that way."

Fitz once again held her close and gave her his lopsided grin. "I'm always quiet, because I'm concentrating on my work. You, on the other hand, are loud enough for both of us." He pecked her lips and felt her smile. She was softening up on him. "Now. Do you want to stand here and look at the paint I bought for our son's bedroom and proceed to paint his walls? Or do you want me and my productive tongue to carry you back to bed and make you scream? Either way is fine with me. But this ends with us painting the walls in his room this color."

Look at him being all forceful and laying down the law about the paint. It was kinda hot. Olivia really took a moment to decide which way she wanted to start the morning out. The process of setting everything up before they even started to paint would be pretty time consuming. She actually liked to paint and knew that part would be fun. But her husband's tongue was the gift that kept on giving and the thought of him using his talented mouth on her was enough to make Olivia glance longingly at their bedroom door. Common sense, being the bitch that it is, won out and she pulled him down for a searing kiss and planned to tell him that he and his tongue could be productive later.

Fitz, thinking that his wife had gone for option B, grabbed her ass and began to knead it. He was more than happy to give her what she wanted and deepened the kiss. He got a small moan from her and took it as encouragement. He bent down and put his arm under her knees and scooped her up. He loved that she thought with her libido too. It was another reason why they were so well paired. Olivia wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and giggled when he carried her into their bedroom and dropped her on their bed. Oh well. Painting could wait a little while longer.

An hour and a half later, Fitz quietly emerged from their bedroom with a huge satisfied smile on his face and a skip in his step. And red marks on both sides of his neck. And crescent fingernail marks on his back. And curls going in every direction. Olivia had happily done that to him.

Speaking of Olivia, she didn't look any better than he did. Her neck and inner thighs were well marked up. Her hair wasn't anywhere near its normal stylish look either. Her lips were swollen from his kisses. And the sheets were a tangled mess. But she had screamed that beautiful sound that he loved to hear. Fitz had counted four times, but was only halfway paying attention after the third. He had happily done that to her. Now she was passed out.

He had taken care of his girl, gotten laid, won the war on the paint color, and was heating up his coffee to enjoy it in peace without his wife's greedy hands taking it away from him. The day was shaping up to be a great one already. Without wasting any more time, Fitz grabbed the painter tape and his coffee and whistled a happy tune as he went into the spare room.

After taping around the windows and baseboards, Fitz brought his empty mug back into the kitchen and set it in the sink. He grabbed the bag with the drop cloths in it and opened them up, laying them on the floor along one wall in the room. He was ready to get paint on the walls, but the tedious parts had to be done too. After going back into the kitchen and getting the roller and paint, he was finally ready to get started.

Fitz carefully opened the paint can and stirred it up with the wooden stick the store had given him. He poured some into the paint tray and ran the roller into it, scraping off the excess. As soon as the first wet rectangle of paint was rolled onto the wall he grinned widely. This room was going to be amazing for their boy!

Thirty minutes into the job, Fitz heard a door open. His bleary-eyed wife stood at the doorway and squinted at his work for a moment. A reluctant smile tipped the edges of her mouth upward. "Hey, babe."

Fitz looked up at his truly rumpled wife and noticed her smile. He put the roller down and went to where she stood. "Have a good nap? You're welcome for that, by the way."

Olivia yawned and then kissed him. "Great nap. Thank you so much Lord Commander."

"Well, I aim to please." He held her hand as they both surveyed the room. He had only gotten one wall painted but it did look great. Looking back at her he asked, "What the hell is up with your neck, Liv?"

She gave him a sour look and reached her hand up to rub it. "Probably the same thing that's up with your neck. I give just as good as I get, Mr. Grant."

"Mmmmmm. Don't I know it?" He pecked her lips with a smirk on his handsome face. "What do you think about the color?"

"Don't tell me you're doubting your choice now? Part of the reason you so easily got laid this morning is that it was so sexy when you put your foot down about the paint."

"And the other part of the reason?" He asked playfully.

"Is because you are freaking hot and I can't get enough of you!" She admitted without shame.

He put his arms around her and held her close. "I love my sexy little nympho wife. I've already gotten what I wanted from you, so if you don't like this color, we can go get whatever you want."

"No. It looks really good. I'm glad you went with the light gray. It boyish without being drab. And it will easily go with all of the navy and white stuff I plan on putting up in here." Fitz opened his mouth to speak but she held up a finger, silencing him. "And the sports stuff too."

He pecked her lips and asked, "Are you planning on helping me paint the rest of the room now that you've rested?"

"I was hoping you'd invite me to help. I'm actually a very good painter." She bent to pick up his roller but he was quicker and gave her an are-you-crazy look. "What?" She demanded.

"This is mine. Yours is in the kitchen. Along with the cup of coffee you stole from me a few hours ago."

"Someone is holding a grudge." She said sarcastically.

"Someone is a coffee thief." He muttered to her retreating back.

They got into a rhythm and had the walls painted in no time at all. And it looked better than either of them thought it would. They stepped into the center of the room and looked over their handiwork. "You know, if either of our jobs become less fulfilling, I think we'd have a great career in painting." Fitz proclaimed with a smile.

Olivia gave him a bland look and pointed at her paint ruined cami. "Really, babe? I'm pretty sure professionals don't attack each other with paint rollers?"

Fitz kissed her nose. "I'm pretty sure beautiful assistants don't get sarcastic to their bosses on the job site too. It's your own fault and you know it."

"I'm sorry. What?" She put her hand on her hip and stared at him. "Do you really think that if we went into business together that you would somehow be my boss?" When he shrugged she said, "That's adorable. But no way in hell!"

"You're just mad because i painted on you for saying something smartassy about Duff Goldman. You know that's a no-no, Liv."

Olivia arched an eyebrow at her husband and said, "You thinking you're going to name my son Duff is a no-no, Fitz."

"Our son!" He warned.

"Our son." She corrected. "We really do need to come up with a name for our little snickerdoodle though." She said as she lovingly looked down at her belly and rubbed it.

Fitz covered her little hand on her growing belly with his larger one. "We've got to pick one soon, because snickerdoodle is lame. Why do mothers insist on giving their unborn babies a nickname? I have heard them all when I sit in waiting rooms. Peanut. Honeybun. Bean. Pumpkin. Cupcake. Little Bit. Monkey. I even heard one mother call her belly Mallowpuff! What the hell is that?"

Olivia was laughing at him as he rambled. "I don't have any idea. It sounds like a food though. Have you ever thought that the mommies name their bellies after food because when a woman is pregnant she is almost always thinking about eating?"

He gave her a mischievous grin and said suggestively, "That's not what you are always thinking about. Why do you think that is?"

"Your ego doesn't need to be stroked any..." At his devilish chuckle, she playfully swatted his arm and said, "Bad choice of words. What I meant to say was, I have the hottest husband on earth and I just can't seem to keep my hands off him." Olivia ran both hands up his chest suggestively and got on her tiptoes for a kiss.

The kiss was getting heated and Fitz, while never one to complain, pulled away from her and said, "You want to go again? You're insatiable, babe. You need to call your belly horn dog!" At her musical laugh he grinned at her and said, "I don't argue with your logic though. I told you the day you walked into the bakery for the first time that I was a damn catch."

Olivia rolled her eyes tried to pull away from his embrace, having heard enough of his self-praise, but he held her tight. "I warned you. But you didn't listen. So now you're stuck with my hot self. And I'm stuck with your constantly needy hormones. And I wouldn't have it any other way."

She relaxed in his arms and smiled up at him. He was a crazy man, too full of himself at times, but he had the best sense of humor, was a hard worker, and there was no denying that he was ridiculously handsome. The fact that he was all hers gave her a thrill every single day. She wouldn't have it any other way either. "I love you so much, crazy husband."

"I love you more, horn dog wife." She said still grinning.

"And as much as I really could go for round two with you, we need to clean up and go surprise the grandparents. I can't wait to tell them we are responsible for their very first grandson!" She reached a hand up and he gave her a high five. "Go us!"

"I knew it! You're just as competitive and proud as I am about having a boy. Thad is going to be so jealous. I can't wait to tell him." He said.

"Fitz. Don't be hateful. If you act too proud you're gonna piss off the ladybugs! And I won't have that. Do you really want the three of them to put you in your place for making it seem like having a boy is better than a having a girl?" Olivia watched him pause and re-think his strategy. "I didn't think so. You be sweet to my girls, Mister."

He scrunched up his face at her. "They were my ladybugs way before they were yours!"

"But they're mine now too. And you will be sweet to them!" She warned.

"Yes, dear." Was all he said.

"Good. Now what's the plan?"

He gave her a blank expression, not knowing what she was talking about.

"I know you, Fitz. You already have a plan about how you want to tell the family. Enlighten me as to what it is please."

A triumphant smile crossed his face. "Well, I thought of a few things actually. I couldn't decide on which one to do and then it hit me. We can actually do both of them. One at my parent's house and the other at your parent's house. I'm brilliant, I know!"

"Easy, party planner! I have some ideas of my own. Let's see if we can settle on two and go from there. But first, I want to sit on the couch and drink some water. Would you get me a bottle? Pretty please, my damn catch of a man?" She started walking out of the room towards the sofa.

Fitz smacked her ass and said, "I hear the sarcasm in your voice. Don't think it went unnoticed." He passed her a bottle of water and opened his own as he sat on the couch and began rubbing her feet. "Let's hear your idea first and then I'll tell you mine."

"Fine. I thought it would be cute if we took one of the ultrasound pictures and put it in an 'It's A Boy' frame." She grinned at the simple idea.

"That's it? That's your big reveal plan?" He let go of her feet, cocked his head to the side, and made a face.

"What the hell is your big idea? Please don't stop rubbing my feet, babe."

"I thought it would be fun to buy two cans of blue silly string and you and I could shoot my family with it?"

Olivia laughed at him. "Fitz! I'm not shooting your mother with silly string."

"Once the baby arrives and she's over here twenty-four seven trying to take over, you'll wish you had the opportunity. But it will be too late."

"I hope she is here twenty-four seven. I'm going to need a lot of help with mini Fitz. What else you got?"

"We could buy a black balloon, fill it with blue confetti, and fill it with helium. Mom and dad can pop it to figure out what we are having." She had to pick one of his ideas.

"I like that idea. It would be a fun way for them to find out. God job, husband." She leaned over and pecked his lips. "Let's do the black balloons for both parents and I'll still give them a picture of snickerdoodle in a frame. I wanted to give them one anyways."

"Fine. But we are coming up with a name for him very soon! I can't with snickerdoodle much longer."

"You know when Abby finds out what I'm calling him she's going to get big headed."

Fitz tried to think of why that would be. "Okay. I'll play your silly little game. Why would Abby take the credit for that?"

"Well, before she became affectionately known as SuperGirl, she went into the Sweet Spot to scope it out. Without telling me, of course."

Fitz chuckled. "I remember that! What does that have to do with snickerdoodles though?"

"Because after shamelessly checking you out, for me she claimed, she ordered two cupcakes. One chocolate and one snickerdoodle."

"I don't remember what she ordered. But I do remember her staring at me for a long time. I think I even mentioned it to you that first night you came to the bakery? Abs is a good person and I'm glad she's one of our best friends."

"She was my best friend way before she was yours." Liv warned.

"Ahhh, but as someone very wise told me just this afternoon, 'She's mine now too. And you will be sweet to her. I should get her a cute aunt shirt.'"

Olivia crawled over in his lap and snuggled into his neck as his big hands came around her. "I am very wise, aren't I?"

"Mmmmm. You are. I think now that we have finalized our plans for telling the family, we might have a few minutes to make out? If you're interested?"

Olivia giggled in his neck. "We'll make time."

"Mom, we're on our way to your house right now. I know we're later than expected. Ask Olivia why that is when you see her." Fitz almost dropped the phone when his wife slapped his arm as he drove to his parent's house. "See you in fifteen minutes. Bye"

"Fitz! What am I supposed to say when your mother asks me why we're late? That I was busy screwing her son and couldn't get away?"

"It's believable. I mean, you are pregnant. And I did that." He said. He got another thump to his arm for the suggestion.

Olivia smiled at him. Two could play that game. She picked up her phone and made a call. "Hey, daddy! We are on our way to the Grants and then we'll be heading your way. I promise. You thought we would have been there already? That's a good question. Ask Fitz why we're late when we get there. He has a really good explanation for you. See you soon. Bye, Dad." She ended the call and smirked at her husband.

"Liv! Are you crazy? He will kill me if I tell him why we're late! He still thinks of you as a seven year old princess! I can't tell him that I had your head banging against the headboard of our bed while you screamed my name!" Panic was setting in.

"You might want to think of something because he most definitely will ask you about it now. Just explain to him that you're a damn catch and that I had to have you." She smiled serenely at him.

Olivia grabbed the black balloon that was floating in the car beside the other one and the small gift bag while Fitz grabbed a black plastic bag from the back seat of the car. Emma opened the door before they even got there. "They're here!" She announced loudly as she enveloped them both in hugs.

Thomas made his way to the pair and said, "We know. You've been watching out the window for them for the past hour." He hugged his son and daughter in law with a kind smile. "What took you so long to get here? She about drove us all crazy pacing."

Olivia opened her mouth to speak, but Fitz decided to save her from the inquisition. He took her hand and explained. "We were painting the nursery and it took longer than we expected. I should have called earlier to let you both know."

Thomas was old but he wasn't blind. He saw the little smile that passed between Fitz and Olivia. Held up because of painting my ass, he thought to himself. They were about at the stage in pregnancy where he and Em had been like wild rabbits. Thomas silently thanked them for bringing such a great memory into the forefront of his mind. "There's a lot to do to prepare for bringing a little one home. We understand completely." He winked at his son knowingly and Fitz winked back.

Hugs were given to Thad, Robin, and all three girls. Elizabeth and Megan touched Olivia's belly remembering when their mother had been pregnant with their younger sister. Fitz plucked little Sophie from her mother's arms and kissed her cheek. "How's my littlest ladybug today?"

Sophie wrapped her chubby little arms around his neck and said, "Petty good" and kissed his cheek.

Fitz gave her back to her mother and repeated the same treatment to the older Grant sisters. He loved the girls like his own and he and Olivia spoiled them every chance they got. He stepped away from Olivia and while holding both girls, took them into a corner of the room. He whispered something to them in hushed tones and gave them something with strict instructions. The girls giggled and hid what he had given them behind their backs.

"What is the balloon for, dear?" Emma asked.

"Oh!" Olivia handed it to her mother in law with a smile. "You have to pop the balloon to find out what color confetti are inside. That's how you're going to find out if you're getting and granddaughter or grandson."

"That sounds like fun. Let me go grab a pin." Emma said walking hurriedly into the kitchen with the balloon following behind her. When she made it back to the living room everyone's eyes were on her. "Here goes, everyone." She warned with a grin.

The balloon popped loudly and blue confetti floated to the floor just as Elizabeth and Megan screamed and ran towards their Pops, spraying him with blue silly string. It was a moment of complete chaos for everyone in the room. Except for Fitz. He had pulled out his phone and was laughing uncontrollably as his two young nieces emptied their cans of blue string on the grandfather. One by one, everyone in the room turned their heads toward Fitz and just stared at him. He grinned at took pictures of all their faces. Especially his blue string covered fathers.

Realizing they weren't happy faces looking back at him, he shouted, "It's a boy!"

Despite their shock and surprise of what had just happened, everyone started to grin and the happiness ensued. "A grandson!" Emma exclaimed, pulling Olivia in for another hug. "It's been so long since we've had a little boy in this house, I'm not sure I know what to do with one."

"Olivia, please don't let him turn out like Fitz. Take heed." Thomas warned with a chuckle.

"That is definitely going to be avoided at all costs." She hugged her father in law and the two of them looked over at Fitz. He was giving high fives to his nieces and sharing congratulations with them on a job well done. "It wouldn't be the end of the world if he turned out a little bit like his dad though."

"You say that now. Wait until he's thirteen. If you don't take up drinking by then, I'll personally take you out to dinner myself."

Olivia chuckled at the older Grant man. "You've got a deal."

Thad walked over to his brother and stuck out his hand. "Congratulations man. I'm really happy for you. And I hope the kid is nothing like his old man. Liv will end up running for the hills if he is."

"Yea. Well, Thad. Some of us just get it right the first time around." He clapped his brother on the back once with a smile.

"You're preaching to the choir. I kinda feel bad for you though. You're gonna miss those special moments."

"What special moments?" Fitz asked defensively.

"When the girls need someone to check their room for monsters at night, they want their dad. When they have daddy-daughter things at school, I get to go to them. Because I have daughters. You don't really get that with a boy. Boys want their mothers. From what I hear. They like doing things with their dads, but when push comes to shove, they want their mom. I wouldn't trade my girls for anything." Thad walked off grinning. He was never going to let his older brother think he had the upper hand just because he was having a son. His girls rocked his world and he wouldn't have it any other way.

Fitz stood there stunned at his brother's words. He was probably right. He could remember when he was a little kid. He never wanted his dad. Always his mom. He was going to get gypped from those moments because his son would always want Liv before him. He wouldn't blame the kid either. Liv was going to be a fantastic mom. He was already jealous of their bond and his son wasn't even here yet.

"What's the matter, handsome?" Olivia asked him.

He put on a smile and hugged her. "Nothing. Just thinking about how expensive diapers and formula and baby stuff is. We should have started saving already."

"I think we'll be fine, babe. Don't worry about that. Enjoy the moment." He nodded at her, but she could sense that something wasn't right. She'd ask him about it later.

Thirty minutes later they were headed to her parent's house. The celebration was still going on at the Grant house, but Olivia made Emma promise not to call her mother until the news had been properly shared by Fitz and herself. She had gleefully promised, but told them to hurry.

"What's the matter, Fitz? Whatever it is, you can tell me. I want you to tell me." Olivia prodded.

"Thad said some things to me that opened my eyes a little."

"What kind of things?"

"He said that little girls always want their dads when they are scared. And that at their school they have daddy-daughter things. Not father-son things. He also said that little boys always want their mothers over their fathers. I guess it just kinda took the wind out of my sails a little over having a son."

As Fitz pulled into her parent's driveway and put the car in park, Olivia gently grabbed his chin and turned his head in her direction. "How does Thad know what little boys want when they are scared? Just because he used to be one, doesn't mean that's how all little boys are. Don't you think that a teeny tiny part of what he said was out of jealousy maybe? That he didn't get a son?" When Fitz shrugged she added, "You have a great dad as an example. And you are going to be a phenomenal father. This little boy is lucky to have you as his daddy. And so what if schools don't have father-son days? We can make up our own at home and celebrate father-son days whenever we want to."

He pulled her toward him and gently brushed his lips against hers. "You are amazing, wife. I'm so glad I have you to keep me straight. Thank you for that pep talk."

"You're welcome. Now go inside and explain to my father why we were late." She giggled.

No sooner had Olivia and Fitz explained the balloon, Lila dug her fingernails into it and screamed loudly when the blue confetti pieces fell to the floor. "Blue! Ohmygod! It's a boy! Yes! We're having a grandson!" She excitedly jumped up and down while hugging her daughter. "Good job, baby!"

"Ummm, I helped." Fitz volunteered.

Olivia blushed and shook her head at him. "You are gonna have the most handsome son. This boy is gonna be so loved and well dressed. I have to take back half of the clothes I already bought him because they are pink"

"Mom? How much stuff have you bought?" Olivia asked.

"Not near enough. You leave me alone. This is my first grandbaby and he is gonna be rotten! Try and stop me."

Fitz laughed at her and Nathaniel shook his hand. "We need more testosterone to deal with these two women. Congratulations, dad!"

"We definitely need all the backup we can get." Lila dragged Olivia into her bedroom to show her the baby stuff she had already bought while Fitz and Nathaniel sat in the living room. "Can I ask you a weird personal question?"

"Sure you can, son." Nathaniel replied.

"When you were younger were you closer to your mother or your father?"

Nathaniel looked at his son in law and asked, "Where is this coming from?"

"Something my brother said to me earlier. It's ok. You don't have to answer it. It's stupid." Fitz was starting to feel like a fool.

"It's not stupid at all. It's a fair question. And I'm guessing he said something after finding out you were having a son?"

"Yes. It made me feel insecure about being a good dad. Or being needed by my son." Fitz admitted.

"If this gets back to Olivia, I will deny it to my dying day. You understand?"

Fitz chuckled. "Yes, Sir."

"I was a momma's boy through and through." He watched Fitz's face fall. "I had a wonderful dad. A good man. But times were very different than they are now. My mother sheltered me from a lot of things that I think now maybe she shouldn't have. For that reason I clung to her. But I admired my daddy and thought there wasn't a better man on earth."

"That's the answer I was honestly expecting." Fitz said with a small smile.

"Do you love my daughter?"

"Of course I do. More than anything else in this world."

"If you found out tomorrow that the technician made a mistake and you were actually having a girl instead of a boy, how would you feel?"

Fitz took a moment to think about it. "I mean, I just want a healthy baby."

"Don't over think it. Just answer the quest..."

"Heart broken."

"See. You are going to have a son. And you love his mother more than anything. And you are going to be there when that baby needs you. And you will be there when as that baby grows up when he needs you. Right?"

"Of course."

"Then it doesn't matter who it appears he is closer to. Olivia was close to me one day and close to her momma the rest of the week. The following week it would be vice versa. She worked the system is what she did. She didn't have a favorite. Your son is going to be blessed to have two parents who love each other and love him. And show him what love looks like every day. That's all that really matters. The rest is..." Nathaniel searched for the right words. "Icing on a cake."

Fitz grinned at his father in law. "That makes a lot of sense. And I talked with Olivia about it on the way over here. She made me feel some better about it. But you just put my mind completely at ease. I really can't thank you enough for that."

Nathaniel stood up and pulled his son in law for a hug as Olivia and Lila watched from the hall with watery eyes. "He's such a good man, Liv. And he's gonna be a wonderful daddy."


	7. NFTG

Olivia had finally reached the seven-month mark in her pregnancy! Some days it seemed like it was flying by. Others felt like it was creeping at a turtle's pace. She was thankful that summer was finally over. The heat had started to get to her and Olivia kept the house at freezing temperatures to feel like her body was at a normal one. Poor Fitz had been such a trooper through the entire trying time. He silently put on extra layers and took care of her . Olivia was so thankful to have him.

Now that it was October, she knew what to expect from her husband. Giddiness. His favorite holiday was Halloween and he was like a big kid making preparations for both the bakery and their house. He dug out the decorations from last year and had made a face, saying it wasn't enough. So, he had bought more. Spider webs, pumpkins, witch hats, and plastic ghosts were just some of the things he had brought home like a kid in a candy store.

Speaking of candy, he brought it home by the truckloads too it seemed. He grumbled that there just wasn't enough candy for all the kids that came to their house on Halloween night. Olivia tried telling him to stop buying candy, mostly because she couldn't stop herself from getting into it, but he wouldn't listen. Fitz always bought the good stuff. The name brand chocolate that made kids smile really big, being familiar with the kind he handed out. She couldn't help it. She was pregnant, it was there, and she ate some of it every night. Not good for her plans for getting back into her pre-baby clothes after their son was born. Fitz was standing on a chair on their porch hanging up a ghost as Olivia watched him. And worried over him. "Will you please get down? I really don't want to raise this baby by myself, Fitz."

He had looked down at her and rolled his eyes. She had one hand on the small of her back and the other one on her growing belly. "Why would you have to raise our son alone?"

"Because you fell from that chair, broke your back, and then died of complications from surgery."

"You watch too much Grey's Anatomy! You know that shit is exaggerated, right? Besides, I'm almost done." He adjusted it and turned it on. An annoying 'oooooooh' played over and over. "It's great huh?"

"You're not leaving that thing on all night are you?" She waited a beat and then added, "Yea. You're not. I'll come out here at two a.m. and throw it in the road."

"A) You can't reach it. B) You leave my girl alone. And C) I won't leave it on all night long. I just wanted to see if it worked. Smartass."

She watched him jump down from the chair and put it back near the house. "How do you know that thing is a girl anyway?"

"I felt up her dress." He wiggled his eyebrows at his wife and laughed. "I'm kidding. The tag says Ghostly Grace." He pecked her lips quickly and wrapped his arms around her. "Are you jealous?"

"Of Ghostly Grace? Seriously? If she wanted you, I'd pack your bags myself."

Fitz smacked her ass and grinned at her. "Admit it. You can't live without me."

She smiled seductively at him. "I would miss parts of you."

"Yea? Which parts?" He asked flirting.

Olivia giggled and grabbed his butt. "I am pretty fond of this spectacularly tight ass." She got on her tiptoes and kissed him.

Fitz grabbed a handful of her ass and said, "Right back atcha, babe."

"Are you two ever not groping each other on your porch?" A voice asked.

Olivia and Fitz's heads turned to their right and saw their neighbor, Charles standing on the steps. Olivia cleared her throat and tried to get out of her husband's arms. He wasn't having it and held her even closer. "How ya doin' tonight, Charles? I would shake your hand, but both are currently occupied. As you can see."

"Fitz!" Olivia hissed quietly.

Charles rolled his eyes. "At least you're both dressed. That's a step in the right direction."

"If you had shown up ten minutes later, you would have seen more than legally allowed." Fitz chuckled.

Olivia was dying of embarrassment. She shoved her elbow into her husband's ribs and stepped out of his arms. "He's had too much candy, Charles. I apologize for him. What can we do for you?"

The truth was, Charles loved his neighbors. They were young and in love and seemed blissfully happy. He just wished he could walk up on them once without seeing them sexually harassing each other outside. Ahh, to be young again. He cleared his throat. "The wife and I are going to have our grandchildren here on Halloween night. We're going to be taking them trick-or-treating to a few of the houses of people that we know well on this street.

"Well, if there's one thing I can say about our relationship as neighbors, you know us really well." Fitz joked. Charles and Fitz grinned at each other while Olivia wished she could disappear. "How many grandkids will you have? I might need to buy more candy?"

"Fitz! NO! Charles could bring ten kids over here every night until Halloween to trick-or-treat and we'd still have plenty of candy left over for the thirty-first!" She put her hands on her hips and glared at her husband.

Charles chuckled. "I think she's trying to tell you to calm down with the candy, Fitz?"

"Finally! A voice of reason! Thank you, Charles. I'm going to go get you a few pieces to take home with you for being such a great neighbor. Be right back." She went into the house, leaving the two men to talk.

"She thinks I don't know that she's eating it. I know. I buy more so she'll have it if she wants it." Fitz explained.

"You're young. So I'm going to give you some free advice. And don't take this the wrong way please. She's eating the candy because it's there and it's good. But when she has the baby and is crying that she can't lose the weight, who do you think she is going to blame?" Charles watched as realization hit Fitz like a ton of bricks. "Exactly, son. Stop buying candy. My advice to you is to sit down at the table with her and make little baggies filled with candy and tie yarn or ribbon or something around them. You can't really sneak one piece of candy that way. It'll ease the temptation for her some. I know that each time Angie had one of the kids, she wanted to get back into the same clothes she wore before she got pregnant. It was hard work, but she managed it. My job was to not make that more difficult for her."

The front door opened and Olivia came outside carrying an entire bag of mini Snickers bars. "Here you go Charles. And please, bring the grandkids by on Halloween so we can meet them. And of course, give them lots of candy."

"Good talk, Charles. Thanks for the heads up." The two men shook hands and he went to the next house on their street.

"What was that all about?" Olivia asked.

"He's a very smart man. He suggested that it might be beneficial for...the kids...if we made little baggies filled with candy and tied them off and put them in a bowl. That way they can pick one up and keep going on Halloween."

"That's a really good idea. It'll give us something to do later on and it'll be easier for me to stay out of it." She admitted.

Fitz tested the veracity of his neighbor's words. "You don't have to stay out of it, babe. You can eat as much of it as you want."

"I know that, but do you really want me to have to buy a new wardrobe because I can't fit into my clothes anymore?"

"Hell no! That would be a lot of wasted money!" He saw Olivia's mouth hang open and said, "What I mean is, if getting into your old clothes is important to you, you should tell me that. I'll help you with that goal any way that I can."

She put her hand on his cheek and said, "You're cute. I don't want you slapping things out of my hand. But a little help would be nice. A...gentle reminder of my ultimate goal."

Once again Fitz wrapped his arms around his wife's waist. There was a lot more space between them these days because their son was growing like a little weed in his mom's belly. "You know what they say the best calorie burner is, don't you?"

She stared at his bottom lip and thought about nibbling on it. "MmmmHmmm. Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Yes ma'am." He released his hold on her waist and grabbed her hand instead, pulling her towards the steps. "Let's go for a walk up the street."

"I hate you right now," she laughed.

"I'll make it up to you later, however you want." He chuckled. "I promise. Come on. It's a nice night for a walk."

When they were back inside the house Fitz asked Olivia if she wanted to take a bath. "Only if it's cold." She whined. "It's too hot in here."

"I'm not taking a cold bath, Liv. My balls will shrivel up like raisins. Besides, you're hot because you just walked for a half hour. But I'll run a cold one for you if you want?"

"Will you join me if it's lukewarm?" She pouted.

That damn pout. Fitz was powerless against it. He closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and declared, "Fine!"

"What happened to carrier of my son? My beautiful queen?"

He plastered a sweet smile on his face and patiently pecked her lips. "I'm going to go run a lukewarm bath for us, my beautiful queen."

"That's more like it." She said with a giggle.

"Balls are apparently over rated." He muttered sarcastically under his breath as he made his way to the tub.

After tub time, the two of them had made spaghetti and flirted with each other while cleaning the kitchen. Fitz had put on some music and put his arm around his wife's growing waist and danced with her in the kitchen. Olivia had bubbles on her hands and wiped them on his shirt and then giggled at him when he pulled her closer to smoosh them on her. They danced together and reminisced about other times they had danced together.

"I still remember our first dance. Do you?" She teased.

"Of course. It was the night you figured out how to find me after we met at the dry cleaners. It was at The Sweet Spot."

"That's right."

"As soon as I saw you I kicked everyone out and shut the place down so I could have you all to myself. I remember that you had on a pretty red dress."

She stilled in his arms for a moment. "You remember that?" Fitz nodded and started moving them again and she added, "I remember that you cooked for me. It was really good too."

"I remember you teasing me with your sexy little dance. Miss Pope was such a vixen."

"And Mrs. Grant?" She questioned.

"Oh, Mrs. Grant is a sultry, provocative, hot as hell, fiery little seductress." That earned him an ass groping steamy kiss from his wife.

"Remember that time you left me that note and told me to meet you at Club Attitude in the city?" Olivia asked with a big smile on her content face.

Fitz held her little hand in his big one close to their chests and returned the smile. "Ahh the olden days, when I called you Miss Pope to get a rise out of you."

"It almost always got a rise out of you!" She chuckled.

"My wife to be was smokin' hot! She still is."

"Nice save, husband." She pecked his lips and smiled at him.

"I recall buying you a dress to wear for meeting me that night too?"

"You did. I remember holding up that tiny scrap of siren red material and wondering if you had lost your mind. Especially after I read your note."

His grin got wider with each of her words. "You didn't wear the red dress though."

"I didn't. You would have been looking for a red dress. And you weren't supposed to know me, and I wasn't supposed to know you."

"I certainly didn't know your cousin, Harrison. He's lucky I stuck to the rules of the game."

"That blonde bitch was lucky I didn't cut her." She said with a straight face.

Fitz threw his head back and laughed loudly. "That was a fun night."

"It certainly ended on a high note." She said licking her lips.

"It certainly did. But it cost me a small fortune to pay all those women who were standing in line to stay out of the bathroom for twenty minutes." He kissed her softly. "Money well spent though."

The continued dancing, each lost in their own happy thoughts of good times they had spent with each other over the past few years. Olivia laid her head on his chest and sighed happily. "Our second anniversary is coming up soon."

"That's right it is! Thank you for reminding me." He chuckled.

Olivia pinched him. That was one good thing about getting married on a national holiday. You never forget your anniversary. "What are you gonna get me?"

"What is the traditional gift for the second wedding anniversary?" He asked thoughtfully.

"I assumed it was a baby. That's what you're getting from me." She laughed.

"We really did plan that out well didn't we? His birthday falls perfectly in place so he will be here to celebrate it with us."

"If having sex every day for months is considered planning it out, then yea. We mastered that."

"We need to seriously talk about names, Liv. I mean, yea, he needs a bedroom, a crib, some clothes, and diapers. But the boy needs a name!"

"Let's hear what you've come up with." She said still dancing with him.

"Well, I haven't come up with any names, but let's see what we can figure out together." He put his hand on the small of her back and dipped her slightly.

He brought her back up and Olivia smiled at him and said, "Smooth moves, Mister." She settled herself back in his arms and said, "Let's do this."

"Do we want to use any names from the men in our families?" Fitz asked.

Olivia thought about it for a moment. "It would be nice to maybe use our dad's names in there somewhere. Don't you think?"

Fitz smiled at her. He didn't want to be the one to push the thought in case she wasn't interested in it, but he had been thinking the same thing. He pecked her lips and said, "I think that's a great idea. How do we incorporate two names in one small boy? If we use one of their names as the first and the other one as the middle, one of them will be offended."

"Good point." They swayed back and forth for a few minutes in silence, both of them lost in their own thoughts. "Ooooh! What if we used both of our father's first names as snickerdoodle's middle name?"

"Will you PLEASE stop calling him snickerdoodle, Liv? I feel like he's going to pop out and kick my ass every time you say it."

She rolled her eyes at Fitz and said, "What do you think about my idea for our son's name?"

He glanced up at the ceiling, pondering it. "I think it will suck when he has to learn how to write his big ass name. But I like it, and I think our dads will like it too. You're so smart, babe."

"I know." She said confidently. "We need to come up with a great first name to go with Nathaniel Thomas Grant."

Once again Fitz grinned at her. "That sounds so good! Just hearing his name makes me more anxious to meet him." He chuckled aloud and Olivia asked him what was so funny. "If Nathaniel was his first name, and his first middle name was something like Franklin or, I don't know, Fredrick, his initials would be NFTG!" They both laughed loudly at that.

"That's terrible." She chuckled. Her playful side came out and Olivia asked, How about Jeremy?"

Fitz stopped laughing altogether and he tightened his hold on his wife. "You're just being mean now." When Olivia continued to laugh at him, Fitz made his own offering. "How about Charles?"

"Ohmygod, Fitz! No way! No offense to our neighbor, but I don't want to think about the things we have put that poor man through every time I look at our son."

"Well, we are definitely not naming him after a horny handsy parasailing instructor either."

"What do you think about the name Lincoln?" She asked seriously. "I'm kind of partial to odd first names, rather than the overused everyday ones."

He mulled it over for a bit in his mind. "I think I like those kinds of names too. I like Lincoln. It's very presidential." Fitz watched a smile cross his wife's face and asked, "What about Griffin?"

"That's a good one too!" She played with the hair on the back of his neck and said, "Look at us. Coming right along with a small list of names for our boy."

"Braxton?"

"Braxton is good. How about Landon or...Maddox?"

"I like those too, babe." He said excitedly. "It's going to be hard to narrow down our amazing list to just one name. How about Rambo?"

Olivia let go of her husband and said, "Oooookay. I think we are done with the name game tonight. Let's go bag up some candy now." Fitz laughed and allowed her to lead him to the table. "I want to write down the four names we have agreed on before we get started. We can add to it each day but we need to have one picked out soon."

"Agreed. I'd love to be settled on a name by the end of the month so I never have to hear snickerdoodle again!" Fitz whined.

Olivia chuckled at him. He was as anxious as she was to get the name settled. "But I want to decide on a name so that we can get a framed piece of sports themed artwork with his name on it hung up in the nursery."

"That is a great idea! I have a piece from my office that I am going to donate to his room too." Fitz said with a smile. His office was decked out with various sports items he had acquired over the years. He had stuff from most every sport on shelves, in corners, in frames, and sitting on his desk.

"Which one?" She asked him from across the table.

"I'm not telling you yet. You'll just have to wait. But I think you will approve of it. It's a piece of history."

"Of course I'll approve. I want us to buy pieces and decorate his room together. You can put anything you want in the nursery. It'll be fun. We just need to get it done soon so that it will be ready when he decides to show up." Fitz reached for her hand and Olivia slipped hers into his.

The two of them had a good rhythm going as Fitz put an assortment of the candy into a baggie and Olivia happily sealed it and tied an orange piece of yarn around it. She hoped this would help her in the struggle of not eating it as she had been. A baby name was occasionally tossed into their conversation as they worked and was approved or denied to their growing list.

So far they had ten names to choose from:  
Lincoln  
Griffin  
Braxton  
Alexander  
Reese  
Maddox  
Caden  
Noah  
Sebastian  
Lennox

Olivia stuck the small piece of paper to the refrigerator under a magnet and said, "This is a good list. One of these names is what we'll be calling out when he's getting into things he shouldn't be. You know, when he's acting like you."

"His father is a handsome man. That will get him out of a lot of trouble when he's older." Olivia chuckled at him. "You know it's true. I've worked my charm on you a time or two and it's gotten me out of trouble."

"Oh my gosh, you're absolutely right. We are in trouble with this one." She rubbed circles on her belly and Fitz knelt down to talk to his son. "He's really kicking up a storm in there. Probably knows we are talking about him."

"We all know you are going to be born the most devastatingly handsome boy in the world. And that's a really good perk in life, and you're welcome for that. But you have to behave too. No one likes a good looking jerk. Above all, you have to treat your mommy like the queen that she is. Trust me. We would be lost without her. We'll talk about that after you get here."

"Awww. Thank you, babe. That was really sweet." Olivia said, rubbing his curls.

Fitz pecked her lips and said, "I meant every word. Especially the good looking jerk part. I hate those kinda guys!"

"Annnnnd the moment is over." She said shaking her head. "Time for bed."

On Halloween night Fitz and Olivia were sitting on their porch watching kids of all ages walk up the few steps to say 'trick or treat' and get a bag of candy from them. Some were impressed by Ghostly Grace and all the other decorations. Some were scared. One little girl cried. Fitz had quickly gotten up and turned it off until she had walked to the next house.

Cyrus, James, and Ella stopped by not long after they started handing out candy. She was dressed up in purple like a princess, complete with a wand and tiara. Fitz got up to greet her, but Olivia was faster and scooped the little girl into her arms and into a big hug. She stuck her tongue out at her husband from behind Ella's back. He just smirked at her. They both knew who Ella's favorite was. In a moment or two she would be squirming out of Olivia's arms and running to her "unka Fiz".

"Look at this beautiful princess!" Olivia exclaimed. "And she's giving out free hugs today! How sweet."

Fitz shook Cyrus and James' hands and watched the two females talk about all things princess. "Has she gotten much candy yet?" Fitz asked the men.

"No, and we want to keep it that way." James said. "This is just a reason for her to dress up however she wants to and get a little bit of candy from our friends. Yours is our first stop."

Fitz walked over to the bowl and gave both dads a bag of candy. "These are for you two. So you'll stay out of Ella Bella's." He looked over at the females and caught the little girls eye. She squealed loudly and almost fell out of Olivia's arms and ran to her uncle. He put his hands on her waist and pulled her up over his head. She squealed again.

"Again! Again! Higher unka Fiz."

"Again? If I put you up any higher you'll be on the moon, Princess Ella." He pulled her to his chest and smiled when she snuggled in his arms.

Olivia shot him a face and went to talk to Cy and James. "Damn him." She whispered. "He's rubbing it in my face that she loves him more than me."

James chuckled and put his hand on her growing belly without asking. "You are so cute pregnant, Liv. Like seriously cute! And you're all belly. Everything is good with the baby?"

"All is well in there. Only two months to go and I might be able to see my feet again." She joked.

"Feet are over rated." Cyrus chuckled. Olivia really was adorable pregnant.

"I've heard that about other body parts as well." She said looking over at her husband. "Ella, let's get you some candy from the bowl!" Olivia took the little girl out of Fitz's arms with a triumphant look on her face and watched her goddaughter carefully look over and inspect each bag of candy. She picked up one and put it in her frog bucket.

"Ella, we need to go see your gram now. Tell uncle Fitz and aunt Olivia bye please." James chirped.

"Bye wibia. I wub you." She hugged her aunt tightly and was passed to her uncle. She hugged his neck, laid her head on his shoulder, and sighed happily. "I wub you too unka Fiz."

Fitz took a moment to hold her close to himself. She was so precious to him. "I love you too sweet girl. Have fun tonight and be good. Okay?" She nodded and Fitz handed her over to her daddy. Fitz and Olivia waved to the three of them and watched them get in their car and drive away.

Charles and his crew showed up just as the sun started setting. His four grandchildren, three girls and one boy, happily walked in front of him carrying cute little festive buckets to collect their sweet loot in. They looked to be in ages from three to seven or eight, by Olivia's best guess.

"Trick or treat!" They shouted with grinning faces behind colorful masks and face paint. They held out their buckets for whatever was offered to them.

"Let's see what we have here." Fitz said. "I see a pirate, a ballet dancer, a green M&M, and a tiny little bunny. Great costumes guys."

"We ah not guys." The smallest one said, pointing to the other females. "Only him is a guy."

Olivia hid her chuckle as Charles beamed at his youngest granddaughter. Fitz squatted down to her level and said, "Yes ma'am. I'm sorry about that. You all have awesome costumes. Is that better?"

"Ah you Fiz?" She inquired.

Fitz looked up the Charles and then back down to the cute little bunny. "That depends on what you've heard about me." When they girl simply stood there waiting for an answer, Fitz chuckled and added, "Yes. I'm Fitz."

"I fought so. Grandad tells us that you ah the nicest neigh-boar he has."

That caught him by surprise. "Really? Well he is our favorite neighbor too. He always comes to visit us on special days." Fitz heard Olivia and Charles chuckling nearby and asked her, "What is your name?"

"I'm Chrissy. My name starts with the same letter as grandads." She smiled proudly, causing Fitz to grin at her. "Vis is my sister, Twacey. And vats Chris and June."

Fitz shook all their hands, but was so charmed with Chrissy that he asked her to help him pass out the candy to the rest of the kids on the porch that had accumulated since the beginning of their conversation. She had eagerly let him pick her up and carry her over to where the candy bowl was sitting beside Olivia. First she gave candy to her sister and cousins, and then to the five kids who stood behind them on the porch.

Fitz set her back on the porch and said, "Great job, Chrissy. Thanks for helping me."

"Fank you for the candy, Mr. Fiz. See you next time." She waved to him and the five of them were off to the next house.

Having a moment without any kids on their porch, Olivia wrapped her arms around her husband from behind him and clasped them at his navel. "Ohmygod, Fitz! You are going to be so whipped when we have a little girl! I cannot wait!"

Fitz chuckled and turned to look at his wife. "I have a way with small females. She was such a little cutie, Liv. I say after our son is born, we get working on baby number two. I want a little girl too!"

She scrunched her face up at him. "Can I get through this pregnancy first before you start talking about another one? I still have two months to go!"

He faked aggravation, knowing she was right but wanting to put on a show, and sighed heavily. "Fine! But I want a daughter within two years of right now, Liv."

"You have lost your damn mind, Fitzgerald. It takes a year for a woman's body to get back to normal after having a baby and you want me to turn right back around, after I'm back to normal, and get pregnant again?" She wanted him to have a daughter just as badly as he wanted one. When the time was right. She knew she'd eventually cave in. And so did he.

"Uh, yea! Me and the boy are going to rule the world together. There is no doubt about that! He's a Grant. He'll be born amazing! And the two of us are going to do man stuff. Go camping and to ball games and I'm going to teach him how to cook and bake." He said excitedly. "But can you imagine me and a gorgeous mini Olivia doing father daughter stuff together? The dances, the dinners, the movies, the ballet recitals, the soccer practices, the birthday parties, the..."

Olivia listened to him rattle on the things he was looking forward to doing with a daughter, but knew he would be a goner once their son arrived. He was amazing with Ella and she wasn't even theirs. She tried to imagine their home with male clothing and bottles and toys strewn everywhere all the time and chuckled. She would be soon outnumbered by male testosterone. A little girl would help balance her two guys out. But that wasn't happening any time soon! They needed to get through this pregnancy first. And then adjust to life with a newborn. She couldn't wait for this new chapter of their lives to start. She hugged him tighter as he continued naming things.


	8. Pick A Part

_I think I need to clarify something. My intentions weren't to write Thad as a jerk at his reaction of Fitz telling him he & Olivia are having a boy. Part of his reaction was jealousy, but I was trying to convey the fact that he is more than fine with a house full of daughters. He's really not a bad guy. I'm just not writing him as well as I should. Also, I am flying through this pregnancy because I want to get to the two of them living with a baby. For me the focus isn't the pregnancy itself, but it's been fun to write about._

 _Pick A Part_

It was the week of Thanksgiving and no one was looking forward to this week off from work more than Olivia. She had a month to go until little Mister was born and she was hoping to take advantage of some much-needed sleep. She was more tired these days and her body felt heavy and slow. Her feet stayed swollen and Fitz had to really coax her to walk around the neighborhood anymore. She was going to enjoy seven carefree days without deadlines or trial dates anywhere near her mind. She had no plans, with the exception of Thanksgiving, and wasn't going to make any. Or go anywhere. She just wanted to relax at home in her pajamas. Maybe clean the house some more? It seemed to constantly stay dirty in her opinion.

She had no idea that her friends had arranged a surprise baby shower for her on the following afternoon, and had invited family members as well as work collogues. But Fitz knew. But he wasn't telling her! His only job was to get her there on time. That was going to be a challenge, because he knew of her plans to stay at home.

Saturday morning Fitz got up at his usual early morning hour and made himself some coffee. He took a mug into the nursery and looked at everything they had accomplished in there. There was a white crib and dresser, a lamp, a rocker, a small stack of diapers, a mountain of clothes; seriously, he could give his mother a run for her money in the clothing department, face cloths, towels, a diaper can, and some stuff Fitz didn't even know what they were. They were ready for him. But first, little man need to be showered with love by their family and friends with more crap. He rolled his eyes. How much stuff did a brand new tiny person need? Fitz shook his head and walked back out of the room.

He settled himself on the couch to watch some television for another hour. And then he was going to make Olivia breakfast and serve it to her in bed. It was a far cry from the breakfast in bed he had gotten used to a few months ago, but times change. He sighed and flipped channels for a half hour as nothing caught his attention there.

He finally made his way into the kitchen and pulled out some eggs and a package of bacon from the fridge. He hoped that this breakfast would soften her up for when he eventually informed Olivia that they had to leave the house tomorrow. He wasn't too optimistic though and had Abby at the ready to come and get her if necessary. He might just go with that option first, he thought to himself as he cracked the eggs into a bowl. He whipped them rapidly, knowing that his wife loved his scrambled eggs.

He tried to put it all out of his mind and continued making breakfast for the two of them. Bacon sizzled and browned perfectly in the skillet as Fitz turned the slender rectangles over to cook on the other side. The eggs were fluffy and beautiful; just like his wife these days. Fitz chuckled quietly at his own humor. It was a good thing she couldn't read his mind. He plated the bacon and eggs for both of them and then grabbed the loaf of bread.

He put four slices into the toaster and when it was done he buttered the browned crunchy slices and put them on the side of each plate. After cutting them in half diagonally of course. He poured two cups of coffee and reached up in the top cabinet for the tray he wanted to use and put everything on it. The last thing was the coffee. A daily must in the Grant household. He poured them both a mug and carried everything into their bedroom. He was about to get so many brownie points! He was killing this husband thing!

Fitz set the tray on his knee and quietly opened the door. He walked in and set the tray on the bedside table. Looking at her, Fitz fought off a chuckle. She was lying flat on her back, naked as the day she was born, and had kicked off the sheet and blanket. They were rumpled all around her body, and looking in from the door you wouldn't think a person was even in here. But her stomach proudly poked up and gave her away. Fitz knew she would be glad when the pregnancy was over, but he loved seeing her pregnant. She was somehow even more beautiful with her belly swollen and stretched full with their child. He appreciated the miracle of pregnancy so much more now that he was watching her go through it.

Her completely non-existent belly was pretty round now. The beautiful brown skin on her stomach was tight and a line ran down the center of her belly from just below her breasts all the way down to her pelvic area. Fitz didn't know what that was all about, but he wasn't going to ask either. He wanted to know but was afraid of the answer. So, he ignored it. And was fascinated by it at the same time.

Their son was moving a little less frequently now, but when the urge to move around struck him, it was like watching someone move furniture under his wife's skin. It was amazing to watch. Olivia would take a sharp breath in and told him it felt like he was kicking her ribs on purpose. It was not the first time Fitz was thankful that men couldn't carry the babies. But she took it all in stride and didn't complain about any of it. Fitz was proud of her for that. He knew he would have been whining nonstop!

He leaned down and planted a kiss on her belly and whispered good morning to his unborn son. Fitz absolutely could NOT wait to hold him! And then he moved his face to hover above his wife's. She was so beautiful, even when she slept. He knew she wanted to rest and didn't want to wake her up. But he also wanted her to remember his hard work and sweet thoughtful self when he suggested going out. He'd come up with a plan for that later. With her eyes closed, Fitz leaned down and gently kissed her lips.

She was immediately startled. Her eyes flew open and Olivia swiped her hand rapidly in front of her face, slapping Fitz in the process. "What's happening? What is it?"

Fitz groaned and brought his hand up to his heated cheek. "What'd ya do that for?"

Olivia blinked a few times and looked at him. "I could ask you the same thing! What the hell, Fitz? I was sleeping over here!"

"I just kissed you. It's not the end of the world. And it's definitely not worth slapping me for."

"You don't kiss a woman while she's asleep unless you're Prince Charming in an animated world! Damn! I was sleeping so good too!" She whined.

"Point taken. I'm sorry." Abby was definitely coming to get her tomorrow. "I made you breakfast and thought it would be a nice thing to wake up to. Breakfast in bed?"

Olivia's head quickly turned to their bedside table and eyed the food. "You did that? For me?"

"Well the damned animated bunnies and squirrels didn't do it." He pouted.

Olivia chuckled at him, reached up to move his hand, and looked at his cheek. It was pretty red. "I'm sorry, babe. I didn't mean to slap you. You just caught me off guard."

"Lesson learned. Believe me. Next time I will shout a warning from the living room when I'm coming in here." They chuckled together and Fitz softened.

"Come here and let me kiss the boo boo." She gently grabbed both sides of his head and brought his face closer to hers. She placed a soft kiss on his cheek and smiled at him. "Isn't that better now?"

"It is better. Thank you." He stood up and started slowly pulling down his pajama pants.

"Fitz! What are you doing?"

"I'm pretty sure you hit me in the crotch. I get a kiss there too, right?" He gave her a wolfish grin.

"Fitz!" She laughed. "Put your pj's back on. Kissing you there is what got us where we are today."

"Technically, that wasn't it. It was the sex that followed afterwards." He pulled them back into place. She was laughing at him. That was a good sign. Maybe he'd been too hasty in thinking about having Abby pick Olivia up?

"You're crazy. You know that, right?"

"Yea, but you love me anyways. And that's all that matters to me." He smiled at her and gripped her chin, starting to lean towards her face. "Warning! I'm going to kiss you now."

"You're such a smartass!"

"I love you, Liv" His lips were as light as a feather as they touched hers.

"I love you too. Now can we eat please? That smells heavenly." Fitz reached a hand down to her and helped her sit up and put a few pillows behind her back. She sighed. "Who knew sitting up in bed would become a two-person job?"

"Technically, it's a three-person job." He corrected as he sat down beside her.

Olivia cut her eyes to her husband. "Stop with the technicallys."

"Sorry." Abby was definitely coming to pick her up and Fitz would follow behind them. If that was technically allowed? He took a deep breath in and set the tray over her thighs.

"I'm sorry, babe. That was mean. I'm just tired and fat and ready for this baby to be born already. I shouldn't have taken it out on you." She laid her head on his shoulder.

"It's okay. I would have been whining every single day if I was in your place. But you've been great. You're allowed to have off moments." He kissed her temple. "And for the record, you aren't fat. You are pregnant, and you are beautiful."

Olivia picked up a piece of bacon and looked at him. "Yea? How beautiful?"

Fitz felt something familiar fall into its playful place. Something that he hadn't felt between them for a few weeks now. His wife was eight months pregnant, questioning how she looked, and was shamelessly flirting with him. This could lead to something. He felt greatly encouraged by this thought. He picked up the tray he had just set on the bed and returned it to the bedside table. When she didn't complain, he knew she felt it too.

"Very beautiful. In fact, I was admiring your little body before I woke you up."

Olivia chuckled at him. "There is nothing little about my body any more, Fitz."

"Parts of you may have gotten bigger, but I promise you, I really love it and find it extremely sexy. And your body, as a whole, is still the same gorgeous little thing it was the day I met you." His eyes hungrily roamed all over his wife's body.

"You are very sweet to say that. But it's ok. I know I'm huge all over. My boobs are..."

"Fantastic!" He finished. "They are fuller, which is hot as hell to me. I wonder if they taste the same?" He never waited for her permission. He simply rolled over, settled himself between her legs, and found himself eye level with her two huge breasts. He rested his chin on her belly and asked, "Are they tender these days?"

Olivia had missed moments like these with her husband. It was hard to be playful when you felt unattractive, were still working full time, and only had one month to go in your pregnancy. She reached a hand out and settled it on the curls at the back of his head. "I guess there's only one way to find out, huh?" She pulled his head closer to her skin and felt his tongue gently swipe over her nipple. She pulled him even closer and he pulled it into his mouth and began to gently suck.

Fitz groaned as he continued to suck on her hardened nipple. Pregnancy boobs were the best things ever! He released the wet hardened nipple and attached his mouth on the other one, sucking with great ferocity. It felt like his wife was pulling the hair at the nape of his head out by the roots as she moaned and held his head as close to her skin as possible, but still he kept at it. Her sounds were making him rock hard.

He hated doing it but Fitz released her nipple from between his teeth and looked up at her. She had her eyes closed at her mouth was slightly open. She was so beautiful. "Yup. They taste the same. What other body part do you think is huge?"

To his manly thinking, if she brought up another place on her body that she was unhappy with, she was basically telling him she wanted sex. If she asked for her breakfast, she was satisfied with his answer and was ready to move on with the day. He held his breath and waited for her answer.

Olivia knew exactly what he was up to. And while she was truly hungry, no homemade breakfast could satisfy the starvation she was feeling for her husband at the moment. She wanted him in the worst way. And she would have him before they left this room. But she'd play his game a little longer. "Look at my belly. Our son probably only weighs four pounds right now. But my stomach looks like it could burst at any moment from the way it's stretched out."

Not exactly the body part he had hoped she would name, but Fitz found himself smiling in spite of himself and let his breath out. At least she hadn't asked for her food yet. He put a hand on her growing belly, rubbed loving circles on it, and gave her a genuine smile. "Babe, you are growing our son in there. A whole human being was created from love." He laid his head on her belly and kissed it. Olivia smiled and her hand was once again on the back of his head. "It's a miracle. Every time I think about it it blows my mind. There's a little person in there growing toenails and hair and eyelashes. It's amazing to me."

He lifted his head and looked into her eyes. "I know you might feel a little self-conscious of actually having a belly after years of always having a perfectly flat one. But you are housing our little miracle and he's just waiting for the day to arrive where he will come out and meet us. Your belly is a reminder of what our love made. I absolutely adore your pregnant belly."

Olivia sighed contentedly. He really was making her feel less huge and more proud of her new shape. But she wasn't done with him yet. "What about my hips and ass? I feel like there should be a wide load sign on my back." She whined halfheartedly. She couldn't wait to see what he would do there.

There it was. The unspoken invitation for sex.

"I haven't really been paying much attention to your hips or your ass lately. Let me see what you're talking about."

They both knew that was a lie. Fitz was all about her ass every moment of every day. But Olivia didn't correct him.

He gently helped his wife roll onto her side facing him. She definitely had more of a curve to her hips these days. Fitz loved her curves and hoped some of them stayed long after their baby was born. He knew it was hypocritical, but he wondered why some men preferred bone thin women over one with some curves. Mrs. Grant was a hell of a lot hotter than Miss Pope had ever been. And Fitz had fallen head over heels in love with Miss Pope. He decided to stop thinking about it so much and get back to the task at hand.

He slowly ran his hand along her ribs and down over her hip. It wasn't huge like she thought. It was naturally a little bigger, but he appreciated that slight swelling to prepare for baby to arrive. He pulled his hand away and repeated the trail with his lips. He planted light kisses on her beautiful cocoa skin as she watched him. "I don't know what you're talking about, babe. Your hips are amazing. They might be a little bit bigger, but that's so our son can make his way into the world. It's all part of the miracle. Your skin is so soft and I don't see any stretch marks on you. You are taking such good care of yourself and him. You're amazing."

She smiled at him and asked, "You didn't say anything about my ass. But that's ok. I know it's ginormous." She rolled her eyes at him.

Like taking candy from a baby, he thought. She had just set him up perfectly. He kissed her hip once more with a loud smacking sound. "If you want me to tell you what I think about your ginormous ass," he rolled his eyes at her letting her know he thought she was crazy and said, "then you're going to have to stand up."

Wanting to see where this experiment was headed, Olivia let Fitz help her up and stood in front of him. She wondered if he was thinking of...

"Turn around and face the bed." He said, sounding bored.

Oh yea. He was definitely thinking of that. She grinned after she was turned around. She waited a few seconds and said, "Well?"

"I can't really tell from this angle. Put your hands on the mattress and bend over a little bit." He was about to be all over her perfectly fine ass.

Olivia was just as giddy as he was and she complied with his request. "What do you think? It's huge right? Pregnancy ass is the worst."

Fitz leaned over her back and whispered in her ear. "Mmmm, your ass is amazing and you know how much I love it." He licked her ear and rubbed his hard length all over her backside to prove his point. "THIS is what your ass does to me." He heard her breath catch and asked, "Do you want this?"

She whimpered and nodded her head in response and that was all the answer he needed.

He lined himself up and slowly slid inside of her. They groaned together at the perfectly exquisite feeling of their joining bodies. Fitz was in no hurry but neither did he want to go torturously slow. He kept up a steady pace with his hands on his wife's hips. "I have missed you. I've missed this. Are you okay in this position? Your legs alright?"

"Fitz?" Olivia panted out.

"Yea?"

"I'm not trying to give you pointers on how to screw your wife, but I could do with a little less worrying and a lot harder pounding."

"Yes ma'am." He grunted. Fitz got a good hold onto her hips and pummeled in and out of her at a dizzying pace.

The beautiful pressure was building quickly for her. He played her body like an instrument and it responded automatically to him. She dropped her head and began saying his name repeatedly. "Fitz, Fitz, Fitz. Ohmygod! YES!"

She was about to explode and Fitz was going to make it a big one. He reached around and down her body and began rubbing circles on her bundle of nerves as he relentlessly pounded into her. "Come on, Mrs. Grant." He coaxed. "I want to hear that sexy scream that lets me know you are really enjoying yourself. Don't hold back on me."

"Babe? Ohhhhh god. Don't stop! Just like...Just like.." Her breathing was labored and she was sweating. Holding back was not working very well. He was too damned good at this. She felt like she was standing on the edge of the world, about to take a step into the unknown and fall into the beautiful oblivion. If he would just. "YESSSS!" She screamed.

The most powerful man in the world had nothing on Fitz in that moment. One of these days he was going to record her scream so he could play it whenever he wanted to. It was that damned sexy to his ears. He felt her body trembling from the aftershocks and knew she wouldn't be able to stand for much longer. He pumped in and out of her a few more times and blissfully jumped off the edge of the world with her.

Fitz pulled out of her body and helped her lay back down on their bed. He plopped down beside her and watched her. She was still breathing heavily and sweat coated her forehead. She was definitely exhausted, but even that was sexy to his eyes. He gave her a few minutes to get her breathing back to normal.

Once she was finally settled, he asked, "Are you okay?"

She looked into his beautiful blue caring eyes and gave him a smile. "Technically, I've never been better."

He returned her smile and held her hand. "That makes two of us. I love you so much. And I have missed you. I know it's probably hard to feel frisky at this stage of your pregnancy, but that doesn't make me miss it any less."

"Actually, I feel frisky pretty often. It's the acting upon it part that's difficult. My legs were starting to shake towards the end there. I don't know how I stayed up so long."

"Greed." He said simply, causing her to laugh. He needed to make her laugh more often these days too. He pecked her lips and said, "We can try some different positions. Maybe on your side would work? But if not, that's ok. In a month we will be on a mini vacation from sex anyways. I just want you to be comfortable during these last few most difficult weeks."

"How do you know they are the most difficult?" She asked.

"I read the books you bought. Both of them say some different things but they both agree the last month is the hardest on the mother. I just want you to know I'm here if you feel unhappy with your changing body. Or you don't feel good. Or can't sleep. Whatever. I'm here to help, Liv. And I want you to tell me how you're feeling. Even if I can't do anything about it, I can listen."

Fitz put his palm on her cheek and she moved her face to kiss his palm. "You're better than Prince Charming. I mean, besides the required good looks, great body, and big heart. You have a genuine knack for making me feel good about myself when I struggle to see what you do. You put my mind at ease about superficial things that don't really matter. You make me laugh every single day. And you always see the best in me. You're kinda perfect." She gave him a smacking kiss.

"You forgot amazing lover." He said sarcastically.

"I did." She giggled and pecked his lips. "Astounding even."

"Are we handing out compliments right now?" He played with a strand of her hair and gave her a smile. "You are the one with the good looks, big heart, and great body. Fantastic body! The love you give me means more than anything in the world. You encourage me to be the best man I can possibly be, because that's the kind of man you deserve. You make me laugh and roll my eyes than anyone I've ever known. I would be lost without you, babe. I love you so much, it's kinda scary sometimes."

"Do you know what I think?" She asked. When he shook his head no she said, "I think this baby, this son of ours, is lucky to have parents who love each other like we do. I think that is going to make him a better person and hopefully he will learn a lot from us."

"He's going to learn so much from you, Liv. He's going to learn how to be patient and kind to other people. He's going to learn to love others because you are the most loving person. He's going to learn that there is no greater love than the love of a mother. And I'm okay with that. He's going to learn that he has a different outfit for every day of the year." Fitz laughed.

"He's going to look at you and learn how to treat a woman with respect and care. He's going to learn what it means to be a good man. When to make your point known and when it's not as important to do that. He's going to learn how to hold a door open for others and say ma'am and sir. He's going to love small females just like his dad does." Olivia chuckled.

Fitz was rubbing circles on her belly again. "When he gets older you know he's going to be a handful?"

Olivia put her hand on top of her husbands and together they rubbed circles on her skin. They both felt him move around at the same time. "Most definitely! He obviously heard us talking and wanted to confirm it himself. Imagine! A Grant male being a handful!"

He laughed at her. "Have you had a good first day off so far?"

"Well, it's" she turned to look at the bedside clock, "Nine o'clock in the morning and you still haven't fed me anything." Fitz brought up his index finger and opened his mouth, but she cut him off. "However, you made me feel beautiful in every area I thought was oversized. And you made me feel really good. All in all, not a bad start to this first day off. We'll see how the rest of the day goes?"

"I suppose you want breakfast now?" He teased.

"It would get rid of this pesky hunger. And make me better equipped to handle a long uninterrupted nap afterwards."

He brought the tray back across her thighs and picked up the two coffee mugs. "I'll go heat these up so we'll at least have hot coffee with our cold food." He stood up and pulled his pajama bottoms back on. "Be right back." He leaned down and pecked her puckered lips.

"Thank you for cooking me breakfast. I'm really sorry it's cold now."

He smirked at her. "Best reason for food to get cold. Never apologize for that."


	9. Baby Shower

Baby Shower

It was day two of Olivia's Thanksgiving week off work, and her surprise baby shower day. Fitz still had no idea how he was going to get her out of the house or what excuse he would use. He was currently texting Abby about that problem as Olivia slept in a little later than usual.  
 _How the hell am I supposed to get her out of the house?_

Abby was picking up balloons and other decorations to take over to The Sweet Spot, where the baby shower for Olivia was going to take place. The bakery had lots of room and everyone thought it would be a viable excuse for Fitz to get Olivia out of the house. She was running behind and text messages from Fitz every thirty seconds weren't helping her timeline.  
 _You have one job..._

 _Baby showers are stressful!_

Abby read his text and wondered how he had come to that conclusion? All he had to do was make up some lame excuse to get Olivia to the bakery and he was done! What was so stressful about that? She was the one running around like a mad woman trying to make everything perfect for her best friend to enjoy a wonderful baby shower. Fitz wasn't getting any sympathy from her!  
 _Ya think? I gotta go. Stop texting me & get her there at 2_

Fitz read the text and rolled his eyes dramatically. Abby had better be glad he had already bought her an aunt gift. Yes, he had one job. But it was the biggest and most difficult one of all! Getting a thirty-six week pregnant woman, who is hell bent on staying in her pajamas all week long, dressed and ready to go to a baby shower that she has no knowledge of. Abby was smoking crack if she thought throwing some balloons and streamers up was harder than that! He pouted for a minute, knowing no one could see him.

He figured if he was going to be miserable then so was Olivia. He turned on his heel and was headed toward their bedroom to wake her ass up and tell her all about the baby shower. But apparently her Highness had finally gotten enough sleep and opened the door as he reached for the doorknob.

"Oh! Good morning, babe" Olivia chirped.

"Morning?" He asked. Fitz looked at his watch and said, "It's noon, Liv. Did you get enough sleep?"

"Yea. I feel great." She stretched lazily and smiled at him. "Did you make breakfast?"

"No, I didn't. Because it's noon." He snapped.

Olivia made a face at him. "Okay. I'll just have some cereal."

"I'm sorry, babe. It's been a stressful day."

"It'ssss noon. How much stress could you have experienced since you woke up?"

"Do you really want to know? Cause I'll tell you. Even though I'm not supposed to." He said with arched eyebrows.

"Oooooh! I really want to know, but now I'm scared to find out what it is." She looked into his blue eyes looking for a clue of some sort. "Who does it involve?"

"You."

"Me? I don't have any plans this week. Just Thanksgiving. There's nothing to get stressed out over."

"Liv." Fitz pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look. We are being thrown a surprise baby shower this afternoon. I've got to take you over there in two hours."

"Uh uh! You know I don't want to go anywhere this week. I just want to be at home and clean it up to get ready for the baby. I can see most of those people on Thanksgiving. NO!"

"Liv, you don't have any choice in the matter. Our families and friends are currently at the bakery decorating it to celebrate you bringing a new Grant into the world next month. So. Go eat your cereal and then get your ass dressed so we can get there by two."

Olivia folded her arms across her chest and shot her husband a pissed off look. "Fine! I'll go but I am not going to enjoy myself! And you can tell whoever is in charge of this little get together..."

"That would be Abby." He said gleefully.

Olivia had an index finger up and ready to make a very valuable point. But that revelation made her pause and then sweetly ask, "Really? Abby planned a surprise baby shower for me? And invited our family and friends to it?"

"Yup. Now what are you gonna do to her? And be explicit because I want to imagine the entire scene." Fitz said with a smile. He was ready for anyone else to feel his wife's wrath. Anyone else but him.

Olivia just looked at him. And then burst into tears.

There went that plan. The tears were a relatively new thing lately, but Fitz had seen them more than anyone else and while he was glad she wasn't pissed off anymore, he absolutely hated to see her cry. He pulled her into his arms and held her while her little body shook from the sobs. "Shhhhhh. It's okay babe. You know Abby loves us more than anyone else. Except that British guy she hangs out with."

Olivia gave a watery giggle and Fitz smiled. He knew the tears could last a long time, but if he made her laugh, that usually cut them off at the knees. He pulled away from her a bit and wiped her cheeks with his thumb and then kissed both of her closed eyes. "Feel better now?" He asked.

"Yes. Much." She said with a small smile. "I'm sorry babe. I shouldn't have been so defiant and childish about leaving the house. There's only a month to go and the people who are closest to us want to give our little man some presents. I think that's sweet." She sniffed.

"If it makes you feel any better, I almost cried when I thought about how I was going to get you to leave the house in pretty clothes with your hair done and full make-up." When she smiled at him, he knew she was done crying. He returned her smile.

"I know you didn't have any other choice but to tell me about it, but I'm glad you did. I'll act surprised when we get there. I promise. Thank you for being so good to me. I love you." She stood on her tip toes to kiss him, but the second their lips were about to touch she gasp and pushed away from him.

"What's the matter? Is it the baby? Are you hurt? In pain?" He rattled off.

"I've got to find something to wear that won't make me look like a whale! And I've got to do something with my hair and get my make-up done! But first I've got to eat something. And we have to leave in two hours? It's gonna be close, Fitz!"

"I'll go make you something to eat while you go jump into the shower. Cereal isn't going to cut it and neither will the mints, peanuts, and cake that will be served. My girl needs sustenance to be able to open all those gifts our boy is going to get from everyone who already loves him!" When she stood there smiling at Fitz, just taking a moment to love the man that he is, he slapped her ass and said, "Go get in the shower! Now! Food will be ready when you get out."

"You're cute when you're bossy." She said as she turned to go.

Fitz grabbed her arm and pulled her back into his. "Yea? How cute?" He flirted.

"I wish I had time to show you. But I've been ordered to get into the shower." She wiggled out of his grasp and saw a smile on his face. "Go cook me and the boy some food, Mister. We're starving."

An hour and a half later, Fitz was dressed in khakis and a blue polo. Olivia kept telling him that he looked very handsome and she was definitely eye screwing him in the car from the passenger seat. Olivia had on a pretty floral dress and flats. Her hair was beautifully pulled up, exposing her long neck, and her make-up was flawless. Fitz kept eyeing her neck and wanted desperately to run his tongue along the column of it. He promised himself he would once they got back home. His wife looked beautiful.

The two of them had already had the conversation about how they were going to act once they got to the bakery. Olivia was going to act pissed off that Fitz had made her leave the house, even if it was to go to lunch. And she would be upset that he had to go to the bakery for something he had forgotten. They'd walk in. Everyone would yell "SURPRISE" and the jig would be up. They gave each other a high five for their brilliance.

Fitz pulled up in front of the bakery and once they got closer to the front door, Olivia started whining just like they had planned while Fitz profusely apologized and promised it would just be for a minute.  
And just like they expected, once they walked inside, everyone yelled surprise and the happy couple were enveloped into a million hugs.

After everyone had settled down, they were instructed to form a line to make a plate of food. Olivia, being the guest of honor, went first, followed by Fitz. She wasn't hungry after eating the breakfast he had made her but picked up a few things to nibble on to not appear rude. When she saw the cake she burst into tears for the second time that day. Everyone froze. But Fitz sprang into action, getting used to these hormonal outbursts.

He calmly held her close to him while she blubbered. "What's the matter, beautiful?" He caught Abby's eye from over Olivia's shoulder and nodded slightly, letting her know that his wife was fine.

"The cake is absolutely gorgeous. It's perfect. I love it." She was clinging to him and he was rubbing her back to console her. "Did Charlotte make it?"

Fitz pulled away from her and gave her a mock horrified face. "No, she did not! Try again please, Mrs. Grant. Think of someone better looking."

Olivia looked into her husband's eyes and saw the humor there. "You made that cake?"

"Remember that gift you gave me on our first Christmas together?" He said with a grin. He still had his arms around her and started to sway with her a little. Right there in front of everyone, who was watching and listening intently.

"The day at Charm City Cakes with your boyfriend Duff Goldman?" She giggled.

When Fitz felt her breathing start to even out, he knew she was over the worst of it now. He didn't care who was watching them. His focus was his wife and he was going to have this conversation with her right now to make sure her crying jag was completely over. "That's the one. Well, as it turns out, this is the very same cake he taught me how to decorate. Money well spent, babe." He kissed her nose.

"Wow." She breathed out. "That's amazing. I guess that means I am a better gift giver than you are, huh?" Fitz was at a loss of words and Olivia took the opportunity to laugh at his dumbstruck expression. She looked around the room and saw that every eye was on them. She suddenly felt very self-conscious and embarrassed by her tears.

Fitz leaned to her ear and whispered, "These people love us more than anyone else in our lives. It doesn't matter that they saw you cry. If you feel like crying today, you cry. This is your day and you're allowed to feel however you feel." He pressed a kiss to her temple and felt her arms hold him tighter.

"Thank you, babe. You are amazing and I love you so much."

The father to be once again caught Abby's eye and asked her, "Would you take a picture of us with the cake before it's cut, Abs?"

The redhead nodded happily and took a photo with her phone. She had been stunned into silence along with everyone else in the room watching Fitz calm Olivia down and eventually making her smile. A tear might have slid down her face, but she wiped it away before anyone could see it and leaned into Stephen. Abby knew her best friend was in the very best hands. After she took the picture, the line resumed movement and everyone sat down to eat.

Yvonne and Abby sat with Olivia while Fitz happily went to talk with some of the other men in attendance. "How did he know what to do to make you stop crying? It was like watching a magic show." Abby said.

Olivia grinned as she popped a peanut into her mouth. After she swallowed it she replied, "It happens all the time. It's so embarrassing. Pregnancy hormones are a bitch! I have no control of the tears. Sometimes it's something on television, or when he makes me a cup of coffee, or even a damned cake, apparently. I'm sorry you had to see that."

"Don't be." Yvonne said wistfully. "It might have been embarrassing for you, but it was terribly romantic to watch. I bet there was a tear in almost everyone's eye in the room. Besides, like you said, you don't have any control over it. Don't even worry about it."

Olivia laughed. "No one else was crying. But thank you for trying to make me feel better about it."

"I teared up." Yvonne admitted.

"I did too." Abby said with a smile. "He is really good for you and to you. I mean, I always knew that, but seeing it in action like that was mesmerizing."

"What was mesmerizing?" Fitz interrupted. He slung an arm affectionately around Abby's neck.

"Nothing." The three of them said in unison, followed by laughter.

"You're all really bad liars." He chuckled. "I know you were talking about me. Olivia called me mesmerizing the first time she came here to meet me. Before we get started with the baby gifts, I have a little something for the two of you." Abby and Yvonne clapped their hands and grinned. "It's nothing to get excited about so calm down. But, you know, I am an excellent gift giver."

The three women rolled their eyes in his direction. "Just hand over the gifts, Grant." Abby said. He handed them each a gift bag and watched them throw the carefully placed tissue paper on the floor beside them and pull out their gift.

Yvonne held her shirt up and squealed. "This is perfect. I love it!" She turned it around to show the others. It was blue and it read:  
I'm not just an aunt  
I'm a big cup of wonderful  
Covered in awesome sauce  
With a splash of sassy  
And a dash of crazy

The other two women laughed at the accuracy of the statement. Yvonne hugged Fitz and thanked him again. Abby held up her shirt and gave Fitz a huge grin. Her shirt was green and had the SuperGirl emblem on the front. Across the middle of the S it said AUNT. She gave Fitz a hug and whispered thank you in his ear. He told her that SuperGirl had been upgraded to SuperAunt now.

Lila announced that it was time to play a game and Olivia groaned loudly. Her mother shot her 'the look' and she immediately quieted and listened to the rules. "This game is called Mommy and Daddy's Secrets."

"Oh shit." Abby mumbled. Fitz grinned at the redhead.

"Last week, in separate casual conversations on the phone, I asked Fitz and Olivia the same five questions." The parents to be looked at each other with questioning looks and he shrugged as Lila continued. "Olivia has to guess his answers, and Fitz has to guess hers. Let's see how well they know each other?"

Fitz grabbed Olivia's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "We've got this, babe." She nodded, but wasn't feeling as optimistic as her husband.

"Where were you when you found out you were expecting? Fitz? Where was Olivia when she found out?"

"Oh shit." Abby mumbled again.

Olivia kept quiet as Fitz answered. "She was in the bathroom at a CVS with Abby." That brought on laughter and questions and raised eyebrows from those who had no idea about the story. Abby grinned sheepishly through her reddened face. Olivia wanted the floor to swallow her.

"That's correct. Odd but correct." Fitz put his hand up for his wife to slap but she shook her head no and he laughed at her embarrassment. "That's a story some of us would like to hear later on." Lila chuckled. "Liv, where was Fitz when he found out?"

Olivia cleared her throat and said, "He was in the kitchen at home."

Lila consulted her information and confirmed her answer. "Would you like to share with us how you told him the happy news?"

"Next question please." Olivia said. Again, Fitz laughed at her.

"Fitz, did Olivia want a boy or girl?" Lila asked amused.

He looked at his wife and had to pause. She had never once voiced which she wanted during her entire pregnancy. He looked at Lila and wondered what his wife's answer was. "Did she specify one or the other in her answer?" He asked.

"You're cute. But I'm not telling." Lila teased. Snickers could be heard all around the room.

Again, he looked at his wife questioningly. She looked back at him with her best poker face. "She hasn't ever said which she wanted in the past eight months. Not even once." He grinned at her and pecked her lips. "I'm going to guess that she didn't choose one or the other. That's my final answer."

Lila smiled at her son in law. He was good. And he paid attention to his wife. "I thought I'd stump you on that one, but you're right."

Fitz jumped up out of his chair and pumped his fist in the air. "Oh boy." Olivia muttered on a chuckle.

"Same question for you, baby. What did Fitz want?"

"He made it no secret that he wanted and was having a daughter." Olivia chuckled. "Me and the boy surprised him there."

Lila nodded and said, "Okay. Olivia, what did Fitz say your first pregnancy craving was?"

Fitz burst out laughing and could hardly stop. He wished his wife was brave enough to say sex, but he knew she wasn't. Couldn't say that in the company they were with. But he still found it humorous. He caught his father's eye from across the room and got a knowing smirk from him. His wife shot him a look very similar to the one her own mother had given her and his laughter quickly subsided. Lila, who had obviously read her son in law's mind, shook her head at him and sent him a wink. "Food craving please."

"I hate to say this out loud, as gross as it is, but I was desperate for canned Spaghetti O's." Olivia admitted. The scrunched up faces that she saw across the room made her laugh in spite of herself. "It was what little mister wanted."

"Fitzgerald, I'm not even gonna ask you what foolishness you were thinking, so I'm gonna go ahead and give you a point for that one. You just sit over there and be handsome." Lila said with sass.

Fitz blew her a kiss. "You're my favorite mother in law and I love you for that." Everyone chuckled.

"What is the one body part Olivia will be glad to have back to normal after the baby arrives?" Lila asked. IF Fitz wasn't mistaken there was a twinkle in her eyes.

That question brought up the very creative morning chat they had shared just yesterday and he couldn't keep the grin off his face. She had brought up some very interesting places on her body that she had been worried about. He decided to pick the obvious one and hoped he was right. "Ummm, I'm gonna say her belly." Fitz guessed.

"I got him!" Lila said doing a little dance right there on the spot. "Olivia, would you like to correct your man?"

"It's definitely my feet, babe. We talk about that all the time." She knew he would get this one right.

"That's not even something you brought up yesterday morning, Liv." Fitz sang. "Would you care for me to remind you of what you pointed out? I'd be happy to."

Olivia looked at him and warned. "Fitzgerald Grant! Don't you dare!" She looked around the room and refused to feel embarrassed as she addressed their friends and family. "See, this is exactly why I want to be able to see my feet again. So I can kick his ass in moments like this one!" Turning her attention back to Fitz she said, "Maybe you should rub my feet later on as penance?"

He gave her a lopsided grin and said, "Is that really the body part you want me to rub?"

"Unless you would like to spend the night with Stephen, then yes."

"Yes, dear." Fitz said quietly.

"Okay. Last question. Fitz, what did Olivia say the name of this handsome, intelligent, grandma loving boy is going to be?"

Fitz didn't even look at his wife. He knew what the answer was. And he knew she would kill him if he shared it with anyone before he was born. They had agreed on that together. He picked up Olivia's hand and kissed it. "Lila, as much as I love you, I enjoy breathing more. And I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Olivia did not even tell you the name we have decided on." Olivia squeezed his hand and laid her head on his shoulder. Fitz got up and hugged his mother in law and said, "You have been a fun game show hostess, but this game is over. You tried."

Everyone in the room booed loudly and threw waded up napkins at Fitz. "You're all gonna have to wait until he gets here to find out what we are naming him. Deal with it!" Olivia clapped proudly for him.

Finally, it was time to open the gifts. Olivia sat in the middle of the room and Fitz sat beside her. Beside them a huge table completely covered with gifts wrapped in various shades of blues waited for eager hands to open them. Abby sat nearby with a pen and paper ready to write down who gave what to make it easier for Olivia and Fitz to write out the thank you notes. Yvonne was in charge of handing the gifts to the parents to be.

Fitz held the cute bags or wrapped gifts, because Olivia had no lap room whatsoever, and she happily opened them. There were countless bags of diapers in varying sizes, packages of wipes, bibs, bottles, bottle brushes, pacifiers, a really cute navy blue stroller, crib sheets, enough blankets to cover everyone at the shower, burp cloths, a super cute little blue tub with yellow duckies on the sides, several diaper bags, a swing, baby shampoo, lotion, the car seat they had registered for, stuffed animals, a few baseball caps, a couple of really cute sports jerseys for various New York teams, a bouncy seat, and so much more.

Neither Fitz nor Olivia could keep up with how many adorable teeny tiny little outfits they opened together. At one point Fitz just knew there was no way their son was going to be able to wear them all and voiced his opinion on the matter. "Liv, I finally know someone who has more clothes than you do, and he isn't even born yet!" Everyone in the room chuckled. Her co-workers louder than anyone.

Olivia patted his cheek and said, "If I don't lose the baby weight I'll have to buy more for myself. That's a comfort, right?" Fitz clamped his lips shut and wisely kept quiet. They needed a bigger house just for the clothes his wife and unborn son had accumulated. He was sure it would only get worse from here.

After everything was opened and the paper and tissue was cleaned up from the floor, Olivia asked Fitz to help her up. She held his hand and said, "Thank you to everyone for coming out today and showering our little mister with all this amazingness. Fitz and I truly do appreciate it! We love you all so much and can't wait for you to meet this little one."

Fitz scanned the smiling crowd and said, "Abby, come over here please." When she came to stand beside them he added, "We would like to thank Abby, most especially, for setting this whole thing up. She really is a SuperGirl and from the beginning of our relationship I have grown to depend on her and harass the hell out of her more and more. We appreciate you, Abs. Thank you for all of this." Everyone clapped and Olivia and Fitz took turns giving her grateful hugs.

"Now! Who wants to load all of this great stuff into our car?" He looked at the vast amount of unwrapped gifts and said, "I'm pretty sure we're gonna need a few follow cars too."

That was Lila's cue to speak up. "Emma and I will help. We haven't seen the recent additions to the nursery anyways, so it's a good excuse as any. And we'll bring dinner too." Fitz hugged her again and Lila gave her car keys to Abby so she could unlock it and begin loading it up, with help from a few of Fitz and Olivia's friends.

Back at home it took several trips to unload the three cars with all the new baby stuff. Everything was carried into his bedroom and set on the floor. Olivia stood in the nursery with her mother and mother in law and sighed. "Well, I'm glad I'm off work this week. It'll give me a chance to wash some of these clothes and get everything put where I want it."

"That's an awful lot of work, baby." Lila said.

"I agree." Emma chimed in. "Would you be annoyed if we came by one day this week and helped you with everything? We don't want to get in your way but we'll do everything you ask us to do in almost the exact way you want us to do it." She said grinning.

Olivia burst into tears.

"Oh no, dear. That isn't something to cry over." Emma said rubbing her daughter in law's back.

Fitz appeared like The Flash, pushed past the two mothers to the only one in the room that mattered the most at the moment. He wrapped his arms around his wife, looked at the other two women and the interrogation began. "Who did it? What did you say? Or what did you do to make my wife cry? Whatever it was it's not cool at all."

"Calm down, Fitzgerald. She's fine. Aren't you, dear?" Emma asked with a kind smile.

"I'm really good," she blubbered on her husband's shoulder.

"She doesn't look fine to me mom!" Fitz almost shouted.

"Oh this boy is about to die right here in his own house." Lila said sarcastically. Olivia chuckled through her tears, but still held on to Fitz.

"Listen to me, Fitzgerald. You will not take that tone of voice with me. I won't stand for it."

"What the hell is going on in here?" Thomas demanded as he appeared from around the corner. "Fitz! I know you aren't getting your mother riled up right now? I will kick your ass if you are."

"Who is riling up Miss Emma?" Nathaniel asked from beside his friend.

"Fitz!" Everyone in the room said together.

"For fucks sake!" His mother cuffed him on the back of the head and Olivia laughed some more. "I was just checking on my wife, who was in tears while in this room with these two."

"Oh. Well. If that's all? She'll be fine then." Thomas said. "Sorry for the language, Olivia."

Olivia was shaking in Fitz's arms and he assumed she wasn't calming down. "All of you gotta go! Just...go out in the living room for a minute so I can play therapist and undo the damage these two have inflicted upon my wife." Fitz saw his mother raise her hand again and quickly added "Please."

Olivia pulled away from Fitz and while tears were still coming down her face, she was laughing uncontrollably. In between breaths she slapped Fitz on the chest and continued laughing.

"Stop slapping me. What the hell is wrong with you, Liv?" Fitz asked. It took her a few minutes, but eventually Olivia stopped laughing and explained what had happened. "You're crying because our mothers offered to come and help you set up the nursery? Really, Liv?"

"It was very sweet. And hearing that after the amazing baby shower just hit me in my heart." She turned to their mothers and said, "I would really love it if you two would come over one day and keep me company and help me get ready for Snicker...Uhh...Mr. Grant to show up. Thank you both for offering. I love you for it." She hugged both women and added, "Emma, you've really got to teach me how to perfect that head cuff! That would come in so handy sometimes and it takes less energy than an ass kicking."

"It's time for the parents to go!" Fitz announced. His mother cuffed him on the back of the head for it.


	10. Relax

_I've had company all weekend and no chance to write anything new so there probably won't be an update on Thursday. Things are about to get crazy for our happy couple...I hope you enjoy the chapter. Thank you for all the love and encouragement you all continually give me_

Relax

"Captain's log...

We have two weeks to go until the tiny genetically gifted boy shows his face. Until that happens, his foot can be seen moving across the large, smooth, brown, capsule he is enclosed in. This makes things very uncomfortable for the mother pod. But he is growing perfectly and measures at a healthy size. We have seen digital images of the male and he is truly an amazing spectacle to behold. His name has been decided upon by his very wise parental units.

Speaking of the mother pod, she is constantly exhausted and wants nothing to do with sex anymore. It makes the father pod desperately miss happier times of four months ago when that was all she wanted him around for. She cries every day at anything from a television commercial to the father pod saying I love you. There is no sign of the air conditioner being turned off in the near future, even though it's December. This is very disconcerting to the father pod as he is doing everything in his power to keep the mother pod happy and comfortable while not freezing to death.

The mother pod has had a few experiences with a natural phenomenon called Braxton Hicks. These terrifying pains usually come in the middle of the night, while the father and mother pods are dead asleep from a long day at work. Never after they have showered in the morning and are ready for the day to start. Oh no! It's as if the tiny addition knows exactly when slumber has arrived and believes it's time to begin the festivities. The father pod is awoken by the mother pod in a loud alarming voice saying, 'It's time to go to the hospital!'

The nice people at the medical facility check out the mother pod, convince her that the Braxton Hicks have struck again, and then the mother pod and father pod trudge back home completely exhausted but knowing sleep with evade them should they attempt it again. It has been a truly exciting past week."

"Fitz! Stop calling me a pod. I don't have the energy to kick your ass but I will write it down and do it as soon as this baby is born and I can see my feet again!" Olivia threatened in her sleep.

It was six a.m. and Fitz was talking to his wife's belly. "Sorry, babe. I was just talking to the boy." He knew Olivia was miserable and emotional and tired of being pregnant. She couldn't sleep well. She whined about looking fat. She had been reduced to wearing flats, which he knew she hated. And she was finishing out this week of work and then starting her maternity leave a week before her due date. Even being on light duty, she felt like she couldn't keep up at work. Court became out of the question when Braxton Hicks decided to start happening. She was ready for this pregnancy to be over. And they were both past ready to have their son here to hold him and love on him. Until that happened, Fitz passed the time having long creative conversations with her belly.

"Talk to him when he's here. Right now, he's asleep and I really want him to stay that way a little while longer. Please?" She begged.

Fitz laid his head on the pillow beside his wife's face. She looked so exhausted. He had absolutely zero idea how she was feeling right now, but he loved her for carrying their son. He kissed her tired eyes. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

Olivia opened her eyes and burst into tears.

Shit! That was the wrong thing to say!

"What I mean is, I know you are really struggling these last two weeks. I know you're uncomfortable. And exhausted. And you're trying to stay on top of work. And you clean something new in the house every day. What's up with that, Liv?"

She grinned at him through her tears. "It's called nesting. It's something most mothers do at the end of their pregnancy. It's just getting ready for the baby to get here. Don't make me stop doing it, okay?"

"You wanna clean the house, go for it! I won't stop you. But I'm wondering how you would feel if I sent you off to a spa for a day of relaxation and pampering? I think you could use it." He prayed she wouldn't cry over his suggestion.

"You want to send me away so you don't have to look at me or listen to me whining all the time." The tears flowed down her face.

Fitz almost laughed at her ridiculous statement. Almost. But that would have made her feel worse and ended terribly, so he bit the inside of his cheek and gave her a smile. "That's not at all why. I would never send you away. For any reason. It would be nice for you to have some Olivia time. To be taken care of and waited on and you love all that facial and massage shit. Right babe?"

"Yea, I do," she hiccupped.

"Well then, it would also be a nice thing for you to relax before the baby gets here. That's honestly all I was thinking about. You can take Abby and Yvonne with you if you want? I'll pay for all three of you to have some girl time together. Won't that be fun?" He rubbed his thumb on her cheek and brushed the tears away with it.

"I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions, Fitz." She cried even harder. "You were just trying to do something nice for me and I ruined it."

This time Fitz did chuckle. "Babe? It's okay. No big deal. Please don't cry. But just so I'm clear, do you want to go or was that a no?"

"Of course I want to go. Look at me. I'm a mess. I need to go and remember how to relax for more than a minute. I don't want to be gone too long in case those damned Braxton Hicks start up again though. At this rate, your son is never coming out!"

Well, Fitz thought. At least she isn't crying anymore. He'd take frustrated Olivia over crying Olivia any day. "I'm going to make the reservations for Saturday afternoon. You and the girls can enjoy whatever you choose to do there. Okay?" Fitz had learned to add the word okay to the end of most of his sentences these days. A wildly hormonal wife made him question everything that came out of his mouth and how he meant it.

"That sounds perfect. Thank you, babe. Will you please help me up? I've got to pee again and then I'm going back to sleep." After the trip to the bathroom was complete, Olivia laid back down on their bed and Fitz kissed her goodbye and left for his shift at The Sweet Spot.

Saturday afternoon brought Abby and Yvonne to the Grant home. Both were giddy with excitement and, instead of saying hello to Olivia when she opened the door, they squealed loudly, causing her to grin. Their eager anticipation was contagious and Olivia found herself squealing with them. Fitz walked to the door and grinned at the ecstatic trio. "What the hell are you people doing screaming at my door? Come inside and do it." He hugged both of them and they thanked him repeatedly.

"Abby is driving because I don't feel like it and you're in no condition to do so." Yvonne announced. "Plus, I'm pretty sure I'll be so relaxed later that I won't be conscious to operate a car."

"The three of you are expected to have a good time and enjoy yourselves. I want a relaxed wife when she returns. This is her last chance to get relaxed before...the baby gets here."

"Ohmygod! You almost said his name!" Abby said excitedly. "You can tell us. We won't tell anyone!"

"No way, Abs." Olivia said sternly. "We made a deal. No one knows the name until he shows up. No one!"

"No one!" Yvonne mimicked with a scrunched up face.

Fitz chuckled. "That's actually really good, Yvonne."

"Babe? Whose side are you on?" Olivia asked.

Fitz put on his best poker face and in a sterner voice said, "No one, Yvonne!"

Olivia rolled her eyes, grabbed her purse, and proceeded to the front door. "I feel my stress level rising, ladies. Let's go!"

Fitz was not going to behave quite so easily and followed the three females to Abby's car. He opened the back door for his wife and once she was seated, he buckled her seatbelt for her. "You drive safely with my precious cargo in here, Abs."

"Aww thanks, babe." Olivia said puckering her lips toward him for a kiss.

"Oh. I was talking about Yvonne." He said with a grin.

Yvonne laughed wildly from the front seat and Abby joined in. Olivia relaxed her lips and threw up her middle finger at him. Fitz grabbed her chin and said, "You enjoy yourself. Relax please. If you come home all stressed out I'm going to paddle your ass." He pecked her lips once quickly before she could hit him.

Abby looked over at Yvoone and whispered, "We gotta stress her out on the way home. She'll thank us later." Yvonne giggled.

At the spa they were sitting in a beautiful room filling out their health questionnaires. Once that mundane task was completed the women were directed to a changing room and were instructed to remove whatever clothing they were comfortable with and slip into the fluffy white robes hanging on hooks. Abby wasted no time stripping nude while Yvonne and Olivia decided to leave their panties on. They were told to leave their cellphones in their lockers and enjoy the day.

The three ladies were given a tour of the premises and its facilities. They were given their schedules that, surprise! Fitz had already arranged for them and were told to arrive for each at least ten minutes early. The trio looked over the schedule and each was due to experience a full body massage in twenty minutes. They went to the lounge and waited.

Olivia's masseuse came to get her first. She was a pleasant looking woman with long blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. She smiled when she saw Olivia's belly and said, "Congratulations. How far along are you?"

Olivia smiled at her. "Thank you. I'm due in two weeks."

"Wow. That's right around the corner. You picked the perfect time to come to the spa for a little relaxation before you give birth. My name is Cassandra."

"Olivia." The two women shook hands and exchanged smiles.

"Olivia, you're in good hands. If there's anything you don't like or are uncomfortable with, just tell me. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask them." The two of them walked down a hall and Cassandra opened the second door on the left. Before going in, Olivia saw Abby being led down the hall from the opposite direction and gave her a little happy wave.

"Is it possible to get a massage on my back with this belly in the way?" Olivia asked.

"Of course. There's an opening in the middle of the table for your belly to rest comfortably in while you get massaged. Do you think you'll be ok with that?"

Olivia looked at the table and smiled. "I wish I had one of these on my bed at home. I miss sleeping on my stomach." She really missed sleeping on her husband's stomach too. But she wasn't about to share that tidbit of information.

"I hear that a lot and in your condition, I completely understand. It won't be much longer and you'll be back to sleeping on your belly. Now, I'm going to lower the table and then leave the room so you can take off your robe and climb up there and get comfortable on your belly. You can cover your lower half with this towel. I'll knock on the door in a few minutes and when you tell me you're ready I'll come back in. Then I'll begin the massage."

Olivia gave Cassandra a panicked look. "Are you allowed to stay in here with me while I climb onto the table? I'm afraid I might fall, and if I weren't pregnant I wouldn't care. But I am really pregnant and I don't want to fall."

"Of course. Don't worry about it. Usually we leave to offer privacy to our clients but I can stay to help. If you will open your robe, but not take it off, I'll hold it open from behind you. Once you are laying down and comfortable, I'll drape the robe over your lower half and we won't bother with the upper half until it's time for you to roll over. That way I'll still be here while you get on the table and offer assistance if you need me to. And still be able to give you some privacy. Does that sound okay?"

Olivia smiled gratefully. "Yes. Thank you so much." Once she was settled on the table she told Cassandra, "Ohmygod I may never get off this thing. It feels weird not having my huge belly in the way though."

"Good. You're getting pampered as well as having a mini vacation. Bonus!" Cassandra smiled as Olivia chuckled.

Twenty minutes later, Cassandra quietly told Olivia it was time to turn onto her back. Olivia had fallen asleep seven minutes into the massage. It just felt so damned good. She was completely relaxed and she planned to reward Fitz the way he would appreciate most. After she found the willpower to move again.

"Olivia? Are you still with me?" Cassandra asked?

"I never want to leave you. Can you come home to live with us? Please?" She begged sleepily.

Cassandra chuckled. "I get that a lot too. It's time for you to get on your back so I can massage the front of your body. Do you want some help or do you think you can do it?"

"I got this. It might not be pretty, but I can do it." Cassandra held the white robe high to block her vision from Olivia. When Olivia told her she was settled on her back a few minutes later, Cassandra grabbed a big plush towel and passed it to Olivia, instructing her to cover herself with it. She turned around and hung the robe on a hook on the back of the door. "Ready." Olivia announced.

Cassandra returned to the side of the bed and worked the muscles in the soon to be mother's legs, arms, and neck. Olivia lasted exactly four minutes this time before she was asleep. Cassandra gently called Olivia's name and her eyes fluttered open. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"No! We take that as a high compliment around here. It means you are completely relaxed and comfortable enough to drift off. You are all done in here. Would you like some help getting up?"

"I'm afraid if I don't get help I'm going to look like a turtle that's been flipped on its back." She laughed. Olivia reached out a hand and Cassandra helped her up and then lowered the bed. "I'm going to go so you can get back into your robe and head off to your next treatment. I hope you enjoyed it. It was really nice to meet you. Good luck with the birth of your baby."

"Thank you for everything. This massage was one of the best hours of my life. It was nice to meet you too, Cassandra. Thank you."

Olivia walked back into the lounge to find Abby and Yvonne sitting in plush chairs, drinking something fizzy. She gently plopped down in an empty chair nearby. "What are you guys drinking?"

"Champagne." Abby said. "How was your massage? And what took you so long?"

"Abby. How long did it take you to flip over on the table?" Abby opened her mouth to speak but Olivia kept going. "Okay. Now imagine me flipping over. That's what took me so long."

"Mrs. Grant? May I offer you something to drink?" A man asked.

"Yes please. What do you have that is alcohol free?"

"A whole list of juices, waters…"

"Any kind of juice would be lovely. Thank you." She watched him nod and walk away. "How amazing was that massage?"

"So good! I fell asleep almost immediately." Yvonne confessed.

"I did too!" Abby admitted.

"So did I. I thought it was just me being tired from the pregnancy. I asked my masseuse if she'd come live with me and Fitz." Olivia chuckled.

"You did not!" Abby said.

"I don't want to know how much money Fitz spent, but it was worth every penny for that massage alone."

"Agreed. Please take care of him when you get home as a thank you. That sounds really weird, but you know what I mean."

"Yea. I know what you mean. What's up next?" Olivia asked as the man returned with her juice. She took a sip and almost orgasmed right there. "I don't know what kind of juice this is, but it is delicious! Remind me to ask them if I can buy a case of it before we leave." Yvonne laughed and sipped her champagne.

Olivia, Abby, and Yvonne finished their drinks and went to get mani/pedis together. Olivia picked a light shade of blue in honor of her son. Abby chose something called Wet Cement, while Yvonne picked a wild shade of hot pink. It felt good to have someone take care of Olivia's feet. To have them soaking. To have them rubbed and painted. She felt pretty again when her toes were done. She felt like a queen once her fingers were done. All three of them were smiling broadly from their chairs as their nails dried.

"Facials are next. My skin is going to feel as smooth as my nephews by the time we're done." Abby said happily.

"And facials are our last treat of the day ladies. So enjoy it!" Yvonne warned. Back in the lounge, the three of them waited as they were collected back into separate rooms for their final treatment.

Olivia was the last one to go. She slowly got herself up from the chair she had been sitting in and felt a pain in her back as she stood. She inhaled sharply and the pain went away. She shook it off. Damn Braxton Hicks at it again. Not today, please! She begged her body.

She slowly trudged down the familiar hall behind the esthetician and went into the room shown to her. The esthetician greeted her warmly and introduced herself. "Hello. I'm Angie and I'll be taking care of you for the next little bit."

"Hi, Angie. I'm Olivia. And son." She grinned as she rubbed her belly.

"Oh my. Congratulations, Olivia."

"Thank you. We're very excited. Only two weeks left to go." Internally, Olivia was wondering why she was telling this perfect stranger details she hadn't asked for. She hoped that wasn't part of the mommy gig? Just then another pain went through her back. She inhaled sharply again.

"Are you alright, Olivia?" Angie asked full of concern.

Olivia managed a small tight smile. "Braxton Hicks I'm afraid. They've been coming and going for the past few weeks. Super annoying. I've been sent home from the hospital several times already for false labor." Ohmygod! Shut up Olivia, she chided herself. She doesn't care. She just wants to rub some goop on your face. "I'm fine. Really."

Angie looked at Olivia like she wasn't convinced. "If they continue or get worse or you feel like you might have to leave, just let me know. Are you ready to get on the table?"

"I'll definitely need some help there. I had a massage earlier and the masseuse had to help me with that. Do you mind?"

"Not at all." Angie held out her hand and Olivia grabbed onto it.

She put a knee on the table and was just about to swing her other one up when something hit the floor. Olivia looked at Angie unsure of what just happened. "Ohmygod! I think I just peed on your floor? I'm so embarrassed. And sorry. Ohmygod!"

Angie, who had two children of her own knew exactly what had just happened. "I don't think that was urine. I think your water just broke?"

Olivia gave her a mortified smile. "I really don't think so. I still have two weeks to go with this one."

"Listen to me, Olivia. You need to get down off of this table carefully. I'll help you. I am a mother and I am ninety-nine percent sure that your water just broke."

"No way! I can't have my baby here at a spa! Holy shit!" Olivia was in panic mode.

"Are you here with friends or are you alone?" Angie calmly asked.

"I...I'm h-here with friends."

"Okay. What are their names? I'll go and find them."

"No way are you leaving me here alone lady! Get someone else to find my friends. Her name is Abby Finch."

"Okay, Olivia. Let's calm down for a minute. Just breathe. The panic isn't good for the baby. Just relax."

"I'm hurting my baby? Ohmygod!"

"I didn't say that. Breathe. Watch me and do what I'm doing." A minute later, Olivia was calmer. "I'm going to go to the phone and call the desk at the lounge. They will find where your friend is and you'll be fine. Just keep breathing calmly, Olivia." Olivia nodded. Angie walked at a brisk pace to the phone and told the situation in her room.

Two minutes later, Abby and Yvonne burst through the door. "He couldn't let us get through with the facials, could he? This kid already hates me!" Yvonne joked.

Abby was right behind Yvonne and went around her to get to Olivia. She held her hand and asked, "Liv? Are you okay?"

"Not really." Olivia started crying. "My water just broke all over the floor. I'm freaking out because I don't want to have this baby at the spa. And I just want Fitz."

"Hey, hey, hey." She soothed. "We are fine. Women have had their water break in much stranger places than this. It's no big deal. Is it..."

"Angie." The woman smiled. "And of course it isn't a big deal. It'll get cleaned up in a few minutes. An ambulance has already been called."

"See! You need to focus on your breathing. In and out. Slowly." She watched her friend begin to calm down a little more. "Just like that. I called Fitz already. He wanted to drive down here, but I talked him out of that. He's going to meet us at the hospital instead. He sounded pretty rattled. It was kinda funny. He even said, 'what do I do?' As if I'd know!? I told him to go to the hospital and not to drive like a bat out of hell. He's probably there already knowing him."

Olivia chuckled at the thought of her husband and then panic set in again. "Did you ask him to get my suitcase? It has everything in it. Abby, I have to have it!"

"I told him. Relax, Liv. You're having a baby today." Abby cooed as she hugged her friend. "You're gonna be holding that sweet boy in a matter of hours. Focus on that. But right now, Yvonne and I need to go get dressed or I'll be walking into the hospital naked, because these robes are pricey. No offense, Angie."

"None taken."

Olivia grabbed her best friend's arm in a death grip. "Don't leave me, Abby!"

"Liv, I've got to go get dressed before the ambulance arr..."

A couple of medics walked into the room and one of them asked in a bored tone, "Somebody call for an ambulance?"

"Preggo needs one. Her water broke. The contractions are like eight minutes apart. She's not practicing her breathing techniques very well because she won't calm the hell down. She's a stress box. You got it from here? Because I gotta go get dressed." Yvonne rattled off. All eyes in the room turned to Yvonne. Mouths hung open. "What? I was paying attention instead of freaking out!"

"We've got her from here. Is anyone riding with her in the ambulance?" The medic asked.

"She is!" Olivia kept a firm grip on her best friend.

"That's fine. Let's get you on a stretcher now and get moving. You don't want to have your baby here do you?" Abby shot a death glare at the man when Olivia started breathing faster at the thought. "What I mean is, let's go to the hospital. Okay?"

"Fine, Liv. But I am not doing skin to skin with your kid just because I'm naked under this robe!" The medic eyed her up and down. "Get her on the stretcher, perv!"

"I want to talk to Fitz, Abby." The breathing technique wasn't working right now because a contraction was upon her. She grunted and whined that it hurt. The medics reminded her how to breathe and to blow through the pain. It helped some. But not enough.

"Fitz is probably driving right now like a mad man. Do you really want him distracted from that to answer the phone?" Olivia started crying again. "I'll text him to call me as soon as he gets to the hospital. Okay?"

"Okay," she sniffed.

"Yvonne, go to the lockers and get all of our stuff out. Bring me my phone before you do anything else please. After you're dressed, grab my keys and drive my car to the hospital. Text me when you get there and I'll tell you where they put Liv."

"Got it. This is gonna be an awesome day! Well, probably not for a while for Liv. But eventually it will be." Yvonne said.

"GO!" Abby ordered.

The medics got Olivia on the stretcher and started wheeling her toward the door. "Miss? Miss? Excuse me? Yes. You. With the red hair."

"What? I'm kinda busy." Abby snapped.

"The robe?" The manager said with his palms up.

Yvonne passed Abby her phone and ran back into the changing room. "My best friend just went into labor! We're on the way to the hospital. Do you want me to take it off right here in the lounge? Or would you rather bill it to the same credit card that paid for our visit today?" Without waiting for an answer from him, she threw up her middle finger and screamed, "Asshole!", then strode off and climbed into the waiting ambulance.


	11. Wow

_Please bear with me. I have had four kids but only felt one very mild labor pain with my third. I am thankful for the C Section and the more I googled this stuff, the more thankful I became! I know labor doesn't generally progress this quickly, but I'm trying to get the baby here. I'll go ahead and warn you in advance, that I have no knowledge of nursing, so Olivia will be bottle feeding. It's better for the baby and yadda yadda, but my kids turned out fine being bottle fed. Also, I had no desire to google that so...lol_

WOW

"Alright, Olivia. I'm going to check and see how far you've dilated. Okay?" The medic asked.

"Ohmygod! Can you guys pull over so I don't have to be right here while you do that?" The medic gave her a glare. "I mean, I love you Liv, but I don't really need to be within two feet of this happening! This is not in the best friend handbook!"

"Shut up, Abby! This is happening so get over it!" Olivia said as she placed the bottom of her feet on the stretcher and opened her legs. "You think I want this random guy looking at my hoohah? Hell no!" She looked down at the man squatting at the end of the stretcher. "No offense."

"None taken."

"But apparently ALL dignity goes out the door when you are forced to squeeze a human being the size of a watermelon out of an opening as big as a baseball. Now sit down and be quiet."

The medic slipped on a pair of gloves and took a peek. "Wow. That's..."

Again, Olivia looked at the medic. "No. I don't ever want to hear you say 'wow' while you're down there. Just tell me what's going on."

"Right. You are dilated four centimeters already. You are currently in active labor. This could be a quick labor for you. Is it your first?"

"Yes. And quite possibly my last, depending on how painful it is. We might hire a surrogate for Fitz to have a daughter." Abby chuckled at her friend and held her hand. "Have you heard from Fitz yet?"

"Not yet. He'll call soon though. I'm sure of..." Her phone chimed. "Speak of the devil." Abby touched the screen and chirped, "Hello? Fine! I didn't want to talk to you either. Here, Liv." She passed her phone to Olivia.

"Hello? Fitz?"

"Babe? Are you alright? What happened?" He sounded truly panicked. It made Olivia smile. She imagined him pacing somewhere.

"I was just about to get a glorious facial when my water broke all over the floor. And Abby stole a robe." She shared a grin with her friend. "I'm pretty sure we won't be welcomed there again."

"You sound...fine?" He sounded surprised.

"I'm currently naked and this very nice man has just checked my lady parts and tells me that I have dilated four centimeters already. Isn't that great?"

"What man?!" Fitz almost yelled.

Abby chuckled, having heard him from where she was sitting. Hell, the entire state probably heard him. "Tell him to calm down. That he's a very nice stripper we ordered at the spa."

"Babe? Explain to me what man is looking at your crotch? And please tell me that Abby is lying!"

"Fitz. Would I let a stripper see me naked? I mean, I might. But not at eight and a half months pregnant." She giggled. "We're in the back of the ambulance and the man is a medic. He's very nice actually."

"Thank you," the medic replied as he took off the glove and threw it away.

"You're welcome." Olivia said.

"How far away are you from St. Frances?" He asked.

Olivia asked and was told their ETA was six minutes. She relayed the information to her husband. "I can't wait to see you. I know this is stupid, but I miss you." Abby made a gagging motion, causing Olivia to laugh. And then wince.

"Liv? What is it?"

She gritted her teeth as tried to wish the pain away, but that wasn't working. She dropped the phone on the stretcher beside her and gripped the sides of it until her knuckles were white. "Drive. Faster." She quietly commanded.

"Breathe. Just breathe, Liv."

"I am breathing, Abby. Otherwise I would be dead!" she screamed through gritted teeth.

Abby knew this was labor pain talking and decided to not hold it against her friend. While Olivia was getting helpful breathing technique reminders from the medic, and let him get yelled at for it she decided, Abby picked up the phone and heard Fitz yelling.

"LIV? Will someone talk to me? What the hell is going on? HELLO?"

"Calm down. Olivia is having another contraction. She won't be able to talk to you for another few minutes."

"Wow. How far apart are they?

"How should I know? Do I look like an obstetrician? Or a walking stop watch? Before we left the spa Yvonne said they were about eight minutes apart. What does that mean?"

"Wow. It means..."

"Let me stop you right there for a second." Abby held her cupped hand over the mouth piece and quietly said, "If I were you I would not use the word wow until you have your family safely back home. Liv just bit off the head of the medic for saying wow."

"Good to know. Thanks, Abs. It means that her labor is getting more intense and the time is coming pretty fast."

"The medic said that she would probably have a fast delivery. I don't want to know what that means. I am never, and I do mean ever, having kids. She looks like hell right now with strangers poking around her va jay jay. I'm not about that life."

"Is she okay Abby? I don't mean the normal yea, she's a pain in the ass fine. Does she seem alright?"

Abby looked over at her best friend. It appeared that the pain was lessening and Abby was thankful for that. If this was early stages of labor, Olivia was in for a long night of pain. Just then her friend shot her a thumbs up as she panted. "She's gonna be fine once she is holding that baby. This is the hardest part. She's brave and she's scrappy, so she'll be great."

"Is that Fitz?" Olivia whined.

"I'm giving the phone back to her now. See you soon."

"Babe? Did you get my suitcase?"

"Of course I got it. Who do you think you're married to? Some half assed man who can't follow simple directions?"

"This really hurts, Fitz. I'm scared."

"You're in the back of an ambulance with medics who apparently are getting a free show from you whenever they want one." He heard his wife's cute little giggle and breathed a little easier. "You should be here any minute and then I won't leave your side.

"Promise?" She asked with a hint of fear in her voice.

"I promise! We're going to get through this birth together. I love you, Liv and I'll see you soon."

"I love you more." She said, feeling a little more confident about the situation.

"It's not possible." Fitz ended the call and a few moments later the ambulance pulled to a stop in front of the emergency room doors. He all but climbed inside the back of it when the doors opened, but the medic shook his head and held up his hand. "My wife is in there so you can kiss my ass! Of course you'd probably rather look at hers though."

"Sir, we're going to unload the patient and take her inside. You can see her when she's been safely transported. Until then, stay out of the vehicle. Got it?" Fitz stomped inside like a three-year-old having a tantrum. The medic looked at him and muttered, "First time fathers can be such assholes."

They got Olivia wheeled inside as Abby walked beside the stretcher in her robe. Of course she had on no make-up, was buck ass naked, and every single person in the hospital had their eye on her. She pulled the front of her robe tighter together and wondered where the hell Yvonne was with her clothes? She desperately wanted to get dressed to feel somewhat human in what could be a long night here.

Abby's phone chimed and she looked down at it. Stephen was calling her. "Hey you. Where are you at right now? It doesn't matter. Guess where I am? Stephen just guess! Fine! I'm at St. Frances Hospital. Olivia just went into labor. Can you bring me something to eat? I'm starving. Okay. See you when you get here. Love you too."

Olivia was put into a wheelchair and taken up to the maternity floor. Fitz held onto her suitcase and tried to talk to her, but it was useless. She was having another contraction and had nothing to say. Nothing positive anyways. After she was wheeled off to a room, he was left filling out endless paperwork. The thought momentarily passed through his mind that he had the worse end of the deal. But then he remembered how his wife had yelled when the contraction hit. He quietly and repeatedly shook his head and decided that he didn't.

Finally! Fitz was shown to where Olivia was lying in a bed in her room listening to their son's heart beating from the fetal monitor on her belly. She looked relaxed and comfortable in an ugly hospital gown. She looked up and saw him standing in the doorway and held her arms open for him. He immediately deposited her suitcase on a chair and went into her arms. "I was so worried about you. Did you get a look at the ambulance driver?"

Olivia pulled back from Fitz and gave him a questioning look and said, "No. Why?"

"He took so damned long to get here I wondered if our taxi driver from the beach had gotten a new job?" Olivia laughed loudly at the thought. Fitz smiled at seeing her fully relaxed and held her hand from a chair beside her bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Slighted."

"Of all the things you could be feeling right now, you went with slighted? Why?" This was going to be the longest night of his damned life.

"Because you haven't kissed me yet." She teased.

"Let me rectify that right now, Mrs. Grant." He smiled at her and moved his head closer to hers with puckered lips. He brushed her lips once and rested his forehead on hers. "How are you feeling now?"

"Fucking hell!" She shouted in his face and clutched her belly.

Fitz closed his eyes tightly and assumed he was now permanently deaf. Contractions were a bitch. He'd gladly fill out another mountain of paperwork to never have to feel a smidgen of the pain his wife was feeling at the moment. And of course, that was the moment the nurse popped in to check on her.

"I'm Cora, the nurse practitioner. I'll be checking on you off and on until the shift change later tonight. How are we doing, Miss Olivia?"

Olivia gave her a death glare and breathed the way the medic had told her to in the ambulance. Fitz held her hand and copied her breathing.

"Another contraction huh? You let me know when it's over and I'll check to see how far you've dilated. The medic who brought you in said you were in active labor already. And that this is your first baby. How exciting for you both!"

After it had passed and her breathing was back to normal, more or less, Olivia smiled at Cora. "I'm sorry for the rude glare. I promise I'm usually pleasant."

"Well, since you'll be giving birth soon, we'll let it pass." Cora winked at her patient. She slipped on a glove and said, "I'm going to take a peek and see how you're progressing."

"This baby ain't playing around today. You've dilated another centimeter already. Unless he or she stalls, it won't be long now. A few hours is my best guess."

"Already?" Olivia whispered. "And we're having a boy."

"Already? He's been in there for thirty-eight weeks. That's about long enough. And I bet your feet agree with me." She gave Olivia a smile. "Now. Do you want an epidural? That will block the pain so you can rest while the contractions keep coming. You'll feel pressure but not pain."

Olivia looked at Fitz. They hadn't really talked about the idea of an epidural. It was one of those conversations they assumed they still had two weeks to have. "What do you think, Fitz?"

"It's completely up to you, Liv. You're the one going through the pain. If you want an epidural, get one. If you don't want to, that's fine too. I'm here to support whatever decision you make. You know how much you can and can't take."

"If I say no to getting one now, can I get it later if I change my mind?" Olivia asked.

"To a point you can. Once you get to eight centimeters there is no way to safely give an epidural so at that time, the option of getting one is gone forever."

"Get the epidural before I get to eight centimeters. Got it."

"You still have some time to think about it and talk it over with your husband. Do you need anything before I go?"

"Am I allowed to have some ice chips? I seriously just want to crunch on some ice right now."

Cora chuckled at the expectant mother. "Of course. I'll show your husband where it is so he can get it if one of us isn't around to do so. Follow me, Mr. Grant."

Fitz kissed Olivia's cheek. "Be right back, babe." He carried the pink plastic pitcher with him and returned a few minutes later with it full of ice. "Here ya go."

Olivia put some in her mouth and asked, "Have you called our parents yet? I forgot to ask you earlier."

"Oh shit! I didn't! I was so busy worrying about you getting to the hospital that I completely forgot. I'll call them now." He touched the screen of his phone a few times and then put it to his ear. "Hello my favorite mother in law." He chuckled at whatever she said. "I am probably no longer going to be your favorite son in law when you hear what I have to tell you. Liv went into labor about an hour or so ago and we are at the hospital." He held the phone away from his ear and pushed the speaker phone button.

"Why didn't you call me immediately, Fitzgerald?"

Olivia giggled and whispered, "She called you by you your big first name. You're in trouble!"

"It's a long story, Lila. And one I'll be glad to tell you after you've gotten down here and beaten me half to death, I'm sure."

"You had better be glad my baby loves you. Nathaniel and I are getting in the car now. Don't you let her have that baby until we get there. That's an order! We'll see you two shortly."

Fitz ended the call and looked at his wife. "Damn. I'm scared, Liv. Cross your ankles and keep that kid in there."

"I wanna hear you tell the same thing to your mother. She's legally allowed to kill you. I'm excited."

"Smartass." Again, he touched the screen and put the phone on speaker.

"Hello, Fitzgerald. How are you today?" Emma said in a happy voice.

"Hey mom. I'm calling to tell you that Olivia has been admitted into the hospital because she's in labor. You and dad might want to get down here as soon as you can. She's progressing pretty fast."

There was silence on the line for a short while.

"Mom? Are you still there?"

"Fitzgerald? How long has she been there?"

"That's not really impor..."

"How long?" She said in a sterner voice. Olivia covered her mouth to keep the laughter from spewing out.

"Forty minutes. Give or take."

"And you're just NOW calling me? Son, you had better hope that that sweet boy doesn't make his grand entrance into this world before I get there or I will take you out of this world. DO I make myself perfectly clear? We are leaving now." She ended the call without telling him goodbye.

The fear Lila had made him feel was nothing compared to high level of alarm he felt deep in his soul from his mother's words. He put his phone in his back pocket and looked at his wife. "If you have that baby before she gets here she will legitimately kill me. Please don't let that happen."

Olivia just laughed and crunched on her ice chips.

Abby knocked on the door fifteen minutes later, fully dressed and with Stephen and Yvonne in tow. "Is it safe to come in?" The redhead asked.

"It is now that you have clothes on." Olivia said grinning.

"I would've been here sooner, but Yvonne decided to get dinner at a drive through on her way. It saved Stephen a stop so it worked out perfectly."

Yvonne went over to Olivia's bed and touched her hand. "How are you doing?" Olivia's face contorted in pain quickly. Yvonne scrambled back away from her suddenly and almost fell into a chair. Her boss laughed from her hospital bed. Confusion crossed Yvonne's face until realization hit her. "You were faking? That was some good acting! If it feels even remotely like that, I feel bad for you."

Olivia was laughing hard. "You should have seen the look on your face."

"It's too bad I won't be here later to see the look on your face. When the pushing part comes and you can't concentrate on anything but the horrific pain. But I'll be in my bed, probably getting laid."

I will not laugh. I will not laugh. I will not laugh. Fitz was chanting it in his head and struggling to contain the laughter he could feel bubbling up. But he knew his wife would kill him and make it look like an accident and it just wasn't worth it.

"You're such a bitch." Olivia chuckled. "I'm probably gonna get an epidural anyways, so I won't feel anything. So there." She stuck her tongue out at her friend.

"How far apart are they now?" Abby asked.

"I don't know. I haven't been timing them." Olivia said. Now she was worried. "Should I be?"

"Why am I always being asked things that the doctor should be answering? How about you ask someone when they come in? Are you comfortable?" Abby asked.

Olivia was silent.

"Liv? Are you okay?" Abby asked.

"Babe?"

"Wow. It's a bad one, huh?" Yvonne said sympathetically.

"Don't say the word wow, Yvonne." Abby quietly warned.

"Fuck! Would everyone shut up for a minute, please?" Olivia had her eyes closed shut and she was gripping the metal railing of her bed pretty hard. She was trying to focus on her breathing but everyone talking was distracting. And just like Yvonne said, all she could concentrate on was the pain.

Fitz held her hand and gently told her to look at him. When her pain filled gaze met his calm blue eyes, he began to breathe the way they were doing earlier. He did his best to do it right, and a few seconds later, Olivia caught on and was mimicking him. He winked at her and they continued until the pain had passed and her grip on his hand was much less painful.

When she was breathing normally again, Olivia looked up at her friends. "Sorry about that. These things suck!" She picked up her ice filled cup and began chomping on the frozen chips once again. "What were we talking about?"

"I take it back. If that wasn't even one of the pushing pains, I'm so sorry." Yvonne said.

"It's okay, Yvonne. I would probably have said the same thing to you if the situation was reversed." She grinned. "The nurse said.."

Lila burst into the room like a tornado on a mission. "Ohmygod! My baby girl."

"Momma!" Olivia said, feeling relieved to have her finally here.

Lila rushed to the hospital bed, shot Fitz a half-hearted scowl and watched him vacate his seat to go stand by Abby, and hugged her daughter. "Are you okay? How far apart are your contractions? When was the last time you were checked? How many centimeters have you dilated?"

"This looks familiar" Abby whispered to Fitz.

Fitz chuckled quietly and replied, "I think it's a safe bet that Nathaniel won't be holding Olivia on his lap and singing You Are My Sunshine to her this time."

Abby burst into laughter, not able to contain it. Olivia and Lila looked up at the redhead. "Sorry." Abby said quietly, followed by a scowl aimed at Fitz.

"Where's daddy?" Olivia asked.

"He didn't know if it was safe to come in or not?" Lila said with a smile. "He'll come in to see you in just a bit, I'm sure."

Just then the door burst open again. "Please tell me that sweet boy hasn't arrived yet?" Emma exclaimed.

"Great. Another mother." Fitz mumbled to Abby and Stephen.

"That's your mother, mate. I'd shut up if I was you because they can see and hear everything." Stephen warned. Fitz remembered that fact and clamped his mouth shut. His mother still hadn't even noticed he was in the room yet.

Upon a quick glance at Olivia, Emma sighed loudly. "Thank God! I didn't miss it." She hugged Olivia followed by Lila. All three women smiled hugely. "How are you feeling, dear?"

"Better now. I just had a contraction a few minutes ago. They are getting stronger. It's kind of scary." Olivia admitted.

Emma looked around the room and caught her son's eye. "Fitzgerald? Why aren't you helping your wife through her contractions? You're responsible for this you know."

Fitz scrunched up his face and was about to speak up for himself when his wife said, "He's been great, Emma. I forgot to do the breathing with that last one and he was right here helping me through it." She sent him a wink and Fitz stood a little taller.

"Well, see that he does!" Emma said with her eyes still on her son.

The door opened once again and in walked Cora. She stopped two feet inside the door and looked around the room. "There are way too many people in this room right now. Some of y'all have to go." When everyone looked around at each other and no one moved she said, "Okay! No more than three people in this room at a time. So, four of you need to scoot! Now!"

Abby, Stephen, and Yvonne said bye to Olivia and almost ran out of the room but promised to be back later. When nurse Cora looked at the remaining three visitors, she arched an eyebrow at them. "One more person needs to find the waiting room please."

The two mothers and Fitz exchanged a glance. When it was clear that they weren't leaving, Fitz rolled his eyes and huffed. "I'm just the father. It's not like I belong in here." He walked out of the room in search of male reinforcement.

"That was cold, y'all." Cora chuckled at the women.

"We'll leave in just a minute, baby so Fitz can come back in. I just wanted to make sure you were doing alright for myself." Lila admitted.

Olivia gripped her mother's hand tightly and inhaled sharply. "Shit. Here's another one."

"We're just going to relax and breathe through it. It's a piece of cake." Lila soothed.

"I don't want any more of this damned cake, momma!" Liv groaned.

"You're doing great, Olivia." Cora said. She was looking at the readout from the machine beside her patient's bed. "It's almost over now. There you go. Great job. I know those contractions are terrible business, but you really are handling them fantastically." Olivia smiled weakly at her. "Now then. I need to check and see how you are progressing. Would you two ladies like to step into the hall for a minute or do you want them to stay?" Olivia gave the two women a shy smile.

Emma and Lila were reluctant, but did get up and step outside. They pressed their ears to the door though.

After a quick check, Cora told Olivia that she was at six centimeters now. "This little boy is awfully anxious to meet his momma it seems. You're doing great and your labor is going quickly for a first baby. I know it's hard, but be thankful for that. I've had patients who have been in labor with their first child for days instead of hours."

"Days? As in more than one? Are you serious?" Olivia was dumbfounded.

"Yes, ma'am. Days! Your labor pains are probably going to start coming closer together, so don't be surprised by that. Keep breathing through them until they pass. Walking helps, so if you're up to it, go for a stroll in the halls. Don't forget about the epidural if things get too much for you, okay? I'll be back in a bit to check you again. You might even have this baby before the shift changes later tonight. I'll go get the two mothers from the hall for you."

"Fitz? Where are our mothers?" Olivia asked when she saw Fitz walking through the door a few minutes later.

"Oh. They aren't coming back for a while." He explained with a smile.

"What did you do?"

"I explained to them that I am more important that they are at this event and I will go and get them later on so they can come back in. Until then, they can keep everyone entertained in the waiting room with stories of when they gave birth to their own kids."

"You did not!"

"Oh, but I did. This is our time. Not theirs. They are going to be a huge part of this baby's life, but they don't need to be squatting in here like they own the place while I'm kicked out. They will probably shun me after he gets here, but I'm pretty sure they will forget all about it by then."

"Fitz." She whispered.

"I know. I'm amazing." He said confidently.

"Fitz!" She said with her eyes tightly shut. "Contraction!"

"Oh!" After it passed Fitz told Olivia that Nurse Cora told him that walking would help. "What do you think? You wanna walk the halls with me for a little while?"

"She told me the same thing. It would feel good to get out of this bed for a little while." She admitted. Fitz helped her up and the two of them started their trip through the maternity ward halls. She would have to stop every time a contraction hit, but Fitz held onto her, rubbed her back, and told her he loved her until it passed. They spoke with a few other expecting mothers they saw in the halls too. Some were stopped, leaned against their husband, working through a contraction. Some were walking. And others were bitching at their husbands.

After a twenty minute stroll and four contractions, Olivia wanted to get back into bed. She was starting to feel tired and wanted to try to sleep. Fitz encouraged that idea but didn't think it was going to happen if the pains were basically five minutes apart. Maybe it would nudge her to get the epidural when she realized that?

Fitz carefully got her settled into bed and gave her the cup of ice chips she requested. Olivia's eyes were heavy and she set her plastic cup down on the rolling table in front of her bed. She laid her head down on her pillow and closed her eyes as Fitz sat down in the chair beside her bed and silently counted to three in his head. He got to two when Olivia cried out in pain. She probably needed to start thinking about getting the epidural and he decided to ask her about it. As soon as the contraction was over.

He held her hand and breathed with her. She was getting frustrated and couldn't concentrate on her breathing, the pain was so unbearable. She winced and gripped his hand tighter, feeling out of control of the situation. Yvonne wasn't kidding when she said the pain would be the only thing she could concentrate on, but Olivia re-focused her attention on her husband, who looked like he was about to hyperventilate. "Fitz! I...can't do it."

"Yes you can!" He commanded. "It's just breathing. You can do this!" He panted in front of her face for a few moments and watched her eventually catch on. He gave her a smile and said, "There's my girl."

"That was intense." She finally said as her chest heaved. "I'm so tired, Fitz. I just want to sleep. I don't care how fast he's coming, I need to have the strength to push him out when it's time. And right now, I just can't." Olivia started crying.

Realizing that the pain was over, Fitz held her close and tried to soothe her with whatever words he could come up with. "Liv, you can do this. I know you're tired and still have a ways to go, but you're doing amazing. You've progressed so fast in such a short amount of time and you've handled it like a damn boss. You have to remember your breathing when the contractions come. It's the only way to get through them. Unless you want to get the epidural now? What do you think? Are you ready to do that?"

She thought about the idea of the epidural. It was true that the pains were getting stronger and lasting longer, leaving less time to rest in between them. And she wasn't doing too great at remembering her breathing techniques. But Olivia wasn't quite ready to give up on the idea that she could get through a little more, as long as Fitz was there with her. And she knew he would be. "I want to wait just a little longer for the epidural. I've still got a little more in me and I want to try to do this my way for as long as I can. Does that make sense?"

Fitz gave her a smile. "Of course it does. This boy is so lucky to have such a strong mommy. I can't wait to tell him about how amazing you are."

Cora came into the room once again to check on Olivia. Fitz took that opportunity to tell her he was going to bring a new face into the room and that he'd be back. He kissed her forehead and said he'd hurry back.

When he returned, Fitz had Nathaniel with him. The smile that came across Olivia's face proved to Fitz that he knew exactly what she needed.

"Daddy!" Olivia said excitedly.

Nathaniel went immediately to her bedside and sat down on the edge of it. He took her hand and asked, "How's my baby girl?"

"Tired, but doing pretty good so far."

"Don't listen to her, Nathaniel. She's been a rock star this whole time." Fitz shot his wife a smile. "She's been super brave and handling these contractions like a pro."

"That's my girl." Nathaniel said smiling at her. Fitz squinted at the back of his father in laws head. She is his girl. But he let it go this time. "Do you need anything?"

"I think I'm okay right now. I've got my ice chips and the nurse practitioner said I've dilated to an seven. She seems to think I'll be at the pushing part soo...Oooooh! Oh God." Olivia gripped her father's hand and squeezed her eyes tightly. "Fuck! Dad it hurts SO BAD!"

"Olivia." Nathaniel's voice boomed. She opened her eyes and looked at her dad. Surprisingly, he was breathing the way she should be. She focused on his mouth and mimicked him. She never faltered and stayed with him as they breathed together. As the contraction eased, Nathaniel grabbed the cool facecloth Fitz handed him. He wiped his daughter's sweaty forehead and grinned at her. "It's been a while since I've done this and I'm really out of practice, but that brought back a lot of memories."

"That one was really bad." She took a deep breath and laid back down on her pillow. "Thanks, daddy. You don't seem to be out of practice at all. Talk about rock stars. Wow!"

Nathaniel chuckled at his daughter. She looked so tired, and he knew the worst was yet to come. "Have you thought about getting the epidural yet, baby? You've still got a while to go with this."

With her eyes closed, Olivia replied, "I'm going to wait a little while longer. But I'm no hero. I'll end up getting it pretty soon. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to keep up with these."

"Don't wait too long. Once you get to the pushing part there's no going back." He warned.

"That's what the nurse told me. I'm okay for now though. I just want to rest if I can," she yawned.

"Close your eyes and I'll sit with you for a while. I'm right here if you need me." He rubbed his daughters head and smoothed back her hair away from her face as she drifted off.

"It won't last long. The contractions will wake her up in a few minutes." Fitz told his father in law. "I feel so helpless. There's nothing I can do to help her."

Nathaniel turned to Fitz and smiled. "You're doing everything you need to be doing for her. Just being here and helping her be as comfortable as possible and helping her breathe through the pain is everything to her. Right now you have the easy job, but you're doing great with her. I appreciate you coming to get me."

Just then Olivia stirred in her sleep and started wincing. She called out her husband's name and he rushed to her side. "I'm right here, babe. Let's breathe through it together." She opened her eyes and did exactly as Fitz was doing. "Good. Just like that."

Nathaniel smiled at the two of them. His baby was in good hands, and he knew his grandson was too.

When the nurse came back into the room a few hours later Fitz took the opportunity to walk his father in law out to the waiting room and update everyone in the waiting room. Olivia was breathing hard and hated that Fitz had left. They had developed a great routine of staying on top of the rapidly repeating contractions with their breathing together. When she looked into his beautiful blue eyes, everything else faded away. Now she was feeling frustrated and the pain was overwhelming. She could barely breathe from the pain.

Cora did her best to help Olivia breathe through it and when the contraction was finally beginning to subside, Olivia grabbed her cup and threw some ice chips into her mouth. She sprinkled a few in her hand and rubbed them on her forehead and neck. It felt heavenly.

"Okay, Miss Olivia. I'm going to take a look now and see how you're doing." Olivia laid on her back and put her feet flat on the bed, letting her legs fall open.

"I think I'm ready to have that epidural when you're done here. I'm exhausted and just want to rest a little bit before he gets here." Olivia admitted.

Once the glove was on her hand, Cora moved it to between Olivia's legs. After a few moments she pulled her hand back, took off the glove, and threw it away. After she washed her hands, she looked at her patient. "I'm afraid that's impossible now."

"Why?!" Olivia demanded. "I'm not eight centimeters yet and you said I could have the epidural until I was. Why are you changing your mind now?"

"I'm not changing my mind sweetie." Cora said with a smile. "You're fully dilated and are completely ready to start pushing now. Isn't that wonderful?"

Olivia's face was one of shock. She heard the words but their meaning was lost on her for a few moments. There was no way she was ready to start pushing. It seemed that she was just at six centimeters a few minutes ago! Wow. That was way too fast! Surely she still had hours to go? Olivia suddenly felt ill prepared for delivery. Just as she was about to share these thoughts with the nurse, another contraction hit.


	12. Labor of Love

_Huge thank you to Jen Odom for helping me with the delivery details from a female POV & Bujuman for giving me the male's POV. You both really helped this writer who woke up in a recovery room 4 different times hearing the news of "You had a boy/girl." LOL I hope you all enjoy this chapter._

Labor of Love

"But I want the epidural! NOW!" Olivia yelled with tears running down her face.

Fitz knocked on the door once and then walked into the room. "What's going on? Why is my wife so upset?" He went to Olivia and saw the tears running down her face. He turned his gaze on the nurse. "Why is she crying? What did you do?"

The nurse raised her eyebrows at the father to be and gave him a look. "I didn't do anything. Your son has decided that he's in an all fire rush to get here."

"That doesn't explain why she is crying!" He said impatiently.

Cora closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them again, feeling calmer. "Your wife is upset because she can't have the epidural now. She..."

"Why can't she have it? It can't be that difficult to give a pregnant woman an epidural!" He was beginning to shout. "She's exhausted! She needs to rest before the pushing part gets here. That's what you said!"

"If you would let me finish a sentence, Mr. Grant, you would know that she can't have the epidural because she IS at the pushing part!" First time fathers were the worst!

"Wait! What? She's at the pushing part?" Fitz whipped his head in his wife's direction. "You're at the pushing part?" Fuck! He thought they still had hours to go. Why was this kid being so impatient all of a sudden?

Olivia was still crying and mumbling about wanting the epidural. Fitz absolutely hated how pitiful she must feel. "Please!" She begged through the tears.

"Mrs. Grant, you need to calm down. You're getting worked up over something that none of us has any control over. It's making your blood pressure spike and that isn't good for you or your baby. Take a few deep breaths and calm down. Please." Cora pushed a button on Olivia's bed and brought her to a sitting position.

Fitz got on the narrow bed beside her and held her close as she cried. She gripped his arm tightly and started whimpering. Fitz sprang into action, already knowing her silent signs of contraction pains. "Babe? Look at me. Let's breathe through it together."

But Olivia was not having it. She drew her knees up as far as she could, shut her eyes tightly, still gripping his arm, and shook her head back and forth. She wasn't listening.

Fitz recalled how well she responded to her father's stern voice and even though he didn't want to do that to her, he felt that he didn't have a choice. "Olivia! Look at me now!" When she finally opened her eyes, she saw his worried ones, but he was breathing the way she should be. She slowly started copying him but kept a firm grip on his arm. This one lasted a little longer than the previous ones, but she stayed with him and kept at it until the horrific pain subsided. "You're not allowed to shut me out, Liv. We're doing this together." Olivia nodded at him and that's when they both noticed the other people in the room. Fitz got off the bed as they watched the medical team.

"Don't pay any attention to us. We're just getting everything in place for that sweet impatient little boy of yours." Cora pulled out the stirrups and placed Olivia's feet in them. She pushed a button on the side of her bed that brought her to a sitting position, and then draped a huge sterile pad on Olivia's chest and explained that immediately after the baby is born they would lay him there.

Amid the medical team setting things up, Olivia had another intense contraction. She grit her teeth and told Fitz that she felt like she had to push. His eyes went wide and he looked over at the nurse practitioner for guidance. "That's normal at this point." She stood at the foot of Olivia's bed and said "with your next contraction, I want you to push while I count to ten."

This was really happening right now! On the inside Fitz was freaking out, but he never showed it. He was also very excited about the fact that he was going to meet his son very soon.

The next contraction came almost immediately. "This is the one, Olivia. Now push!"

Olivia swore, held her breath, and pushed as hard as she could as Fitz held her hand.

"Great job, Olivia! I can see the top of your baby's head!"

"Really?" She panted out in a shocked voice.

"Yes, ma'am. This boy is very ready to meet his momma and daddy. I'll bet he's here within the next twenty minutes." Cora smiled. She pushed the call button beside Olivia's bed and told the nurse to send the doctor in.

"You hear that Liv? We're going to be holding him very soon." Fitz kissed the top of her head with a huge grin on his face.

"Fitz! Here's another one already!" She grunted.

"Push, push, push, Olivia." Cora encouraged. "That's it! Beautiful! Keep going. Just like that. Great job."

"You're doing great, babe. I'm so proud of you." Fitz said.

The doctor came in and said, "Let's have a baby today guys!" He was helped into a paper gown and gloves and sat down at the end of the bed. "Okay, Mrs. Grant. On the next contraction I want you to push as hard as you can. Here comes another contraction. Ready?"

Olivia nodded her head and felt the beginning of the pain run through her body. She focused all of her energy on pushing as hard as she could. It hurt so bad she wanted to cry, but she kept her focus. When the pain started subsiding, her head fell back heavily on the bed. She was sweating profusely but somehow was excited rather than exhausted. She had somehow found her second wind.

"That's it, Mrs. Grant. I think another push or two like that and we'll have that head out." The doctor encouraged. "When you feel that contraction start up again, you push."

She had just gotten her breathing more or less back under control when the relentless pain started all over again. She picked up her head, gripped the sides of the bed and pushed as hard as she could.

"The head is out! Look at all that hair!" The doctor exclaimed as he suctioned out the baby's nose and mouth. Fitz really wanted to take a look but was scared it wasn't allowed or that he would pass out at the sight of a human head sticking out of his wife's body. The doctor must have sensed that and asked, "Come down and take a look, dad."

Fitz hesitated but took two steps to the left and craned his head around his wife's open leg. There he saw the back of a tiny head with so much curly dark hair. "Holy shit!" He scrambled back to his wife's side. "Liv, hurry up and have him! I need to hold him. And count his fingers and toes. And see who he looks most like."

Olivia smiled up at him. Baby daddy was here and he was impatient to see his son. "Doing the best I can, babe."

"I haven't even seen his face yet and he's perfect!"

"Ok, Mrs. Grant. This is the hardest part of the pushing. Next the shoulders are going to come. The shoulders are the widest part so it's going to be a little tougher than the head. But once the shoulders are out, the rest will follow really quickly. I'll put him on your chest once he's here so you both can see him and we'll clean him up some and you'll get to hear that first cry. When you feel the next contraction, push like you've been doing and your boy will be here."

Olivia was ready for this to be over. She was exhausted beyond belief. She just wanted to hold him. This last push should do the job. She waited for the contraction and began doing her best. Fitz was still holding her hand and encouraging her through the pain and her loud grunting.

Moments later the doctor happily announced, "It's a boy!" He put the newborn on top of his mother's chest and Cora wiped off his little body as best he could. Loud wailing immediately pierced the room and Fitz and Olivia grinned at each other through happy tears. "Dad? Do you want to cut the cord?"

"Really? Am I qualified to do that?" Fitz asked nervously. He wiped his eyes and focused on the instructions.

"Of course. I'll show you where to cut it." A nurse passed the new daddy a pair of scissors and the doctor showed him the small space where to cut between. It was tougher than Fitz imagined and felt kind of tough, like a garden hose. He grinned and when he was done with his task, the nurse took the scissors from him.

Olivia cried as she cradled her son in her arms and kissed his head. Fitz was crying too and leaned down to kiss his wife. And then his son. "Liv, he's perfect in every way. I'm so proud of you."

"He is pretty damn cute." Olivia said, mesmerized by the tiny infant in her arms.

"If one of you will pass me your phone, I'd be glad to take a picture of the three of you." One of the nurses offered.

"Yes, please." Fitz said with a smile and handing over his phone. The new parents smiled and the moment was captured.

"Okay, mom. We need to see how much he weighs and how long he is, among other things. I promise to give him back as soon as I'm done. He was picked up by a nurse and Fitz followed them to a corner of the room while Olivia delivered the placenta. "Babe, take pictures with your phone!" Olivia reminded him.

He was put on a scale and the nurse announced that he weighed seven pounds seven ounces. He was measured at twenty and a half inches long. The smallest diaper in the world was put under his little butt and brought up between his legs and fastened on his hips. His foot was pushed to an ink pad and then pushed onto a piece of paper. The other foot followed. The infant cried the entire time and the proud dad took photos of everything. Fitz couldn't stop smiling at his son and thought everything he did was endlessly fascinating. The nurse wrapped a plastic identification band around the small infant's wrist and made sure it was snug enough so that it wouldn't fall off. A small blue hat was placed on his head and then he finally was wrapped in a soft blanket and given to his father.

Fitz had held all three of his nieces as well as Ella when they were newborns. But this one seemed a lot more fragile to him. He checked and double checked to make sure he was holding his son correctly. When he was satisfied he wouldn't drop him, Fitz really looked at him. He was gorgeous. His skin was lighter than Liv's but darker than his own. His hair was a mass of dark curls and they stuck out from under the hat. Fitz wondered what color his son's eyes were, but was content to just watch him rest in his arms.

Suddenly, the baby's eyes fluttered open and he looked at the man who was holding him. Fitz grinned at him. His son had blue eyes, just like his dad. Fitz swayed with him in his arms and swore he had never felt anything like this before in his entire life. "Hey, buddy." Fitz said quietly as his son blinked repeatedly at him, as if trying to figure him out. "Happy birthday."

The baby pursed his lips at his father and Fitz pulled him up so he could kiss his chubby cheek. The infant yawned and Fitz asked, "Rough day huh? It was even rougher out here. Listen," Fitz whispered conspiratorially to him. "There are a lot of people here to meet you. Most of them are crazy, but the good kind of crazy. If you could do your dad a favor and be super sweet to your grandmothers, that will save your dad an ass kicking. And don't let them give you shit over your name either!"

"Fitzgerald? What are you saying to my baby over there?" Olivia demanded from her bed.

"A) He's our baby! B) Don't worry about it. And C) I'm bringing him to you now." But before he did, Fitz told the baby, "Tell your mother nothing!" Fitz handed him over to his mother and watched her cry all over again. It was then that he wondered if the crying was ever going to stop?

Olivia wiped her eyes and said, "Sorry. He's just so perfect. Isn't he?"

"I haven't had the chance to check him over yet. I was too busy watching what the nurse was doing to him to count his fingers and toes." Fitz rubbed his index finger over his son's forehead.

"Can we unwrap him and look?" Olivia asked.

"He's our baby, Liv. We can certainly count his fingers and toes. I think?"

Olivia held him while Fitz opened the blanket and kept an eye on the nurses, waiting for one of them to yell at them to cover him back up. "Ohmygod! Look at how teeny his hands are, Fitz. Momma's little man has the cutest hands in the world." She gave them both loud smacking kisses.

Fitz grinned at his wife. She was already an adorable mom. He quickly counted ten fingers. "Let's do the toes now. Hurry!" Fitz whispered as he glanced up at the few medical people who were still in the room. He peeled the blanket open and heard Olivia squeal quietly. "What's the matter? Did you just see nine?"

"What? No!" She exclaimed. "His feet are even cuter than his hands! Put them up here so I can kiss them too!"

Fitz shook his head. His wife was a goner over this baby. Still he complied with her request and he chuckled as he watched Olivia put the tiny bottoms of their son's feet up to her lips and kiss them. Once he was wrapped back up all snug in his blanket and in Olivia's arms, they just looked at him in wonder.

"Miss Olivia? Are you planning to breast feed or bottle feed this young man?" Cora asked.

"We're going to bottle feed him so we can both do it." Olivia explained.

"You know if you pumped your breast milk..."

"Cora? We appreciate everything you have done for the three of us, but we are bottle feeding. And that's our final answer." Fitz said a little firmer.

"Okay then. I will go and get some formula filled bottles so you can feed him. The diapers are under his little bed. I'll be back shortly."

"Thank you for that, Fitz. I hope you're not disappointed that I don't want to nurse? It's just not something that I want to do."

"I'm completely fine with that decision." He told his wife. "And I could never be disappointed with you."

They were finally alone in her room and so much had just happened, but words just weren't needed right now. The new parents spent what felt like hours just looking at their baby, lost in their own happy thoughts and thankful that he was finally here. Fitz eventually broke the silence with a conversation that neither one of them wanted to have.

"You know we're gonna have to go get everyone sooner or later, right? Our mothers will break down the door to get in here if we don't let them know something." Fitz chuckled.

"I know. But I want to enjoy it just being the three of us for a little longer. He's all ours and he's perfect in every way."

"He really is." Fitz agreed. He looked at his wife and spoke from his heart. "You were really amazing, babe. Your strength and determination were what brought him into the world. I won't ever forget that. I love you so much." He kissed her lips and looked back down at his son.

"I wouldn't have been able to do it without you. You were my rock through the whole thing. You kept me focused on the breathing and didn't let me feel sorry for myself no matter how exhausted I felt. That's what kept me going, and I love you too. We pretty much kicked this labor things ass!"

"We did. Abby told me you might want to get a surrogate if we decide to have another one? You're not really gonna do that are you?" He chuckled.

"Your aunt Abby has a big mouth. Yes she does." Olivia told her sleeping son. "If the next one comes that fast then I have no problem having another baby. Let's enjoy our amazing boy for a few years first."

"He is pretty damned amazing, isn't he?"

"I'll bet one day, thirty years from now, when he's allowed to date, he'll tell some girl he's a damn catch. What do you think?" She grinned.

"Oh, most definitely." Fitz said grinning back. "It'll be the first sentence I teach him to say." He put his index finger near his son's hand and watched as his tiny fingers wrapped around it. He kissed his son's head again and then his wife's lips. "Our little family is perfect."

It was bound to happen sooner or later. The door to Olivia's room opened and Cora walked back in the room, all smiles. She was carrying a four pack of the smallest bottles Fitz or Olivia had ever seen. "It's time to see if Mr. Impatient knows how to eat" she teased.

She unscrewed the lid of the slender bottle and set it on the rolling table near Olivia's bed. Then she opened the plastic wrapped nipple and screwed it on top of the tiny bottle. "This bottle has two ounces of formula in it. I'm going to leave the rest of them in here for you to use. You should try to feed him every few hours and keep up with how much he eats. Make sure you stop to burp him after he's had some of the bottle. Then give him some more of the formula and then get more burps."

"What happens if he doesn't burp?" Fitz asked. The baby started making noises and his eyes opened. He seemed to be listening to the instructions as well.

"Then he'll get a belly ache and will cry from the pain of it. Burping is very important. Keep an eye on his diapers. If they are wet or dirty. You don't have to write it down or anything. Just be mindful of it." She explained.

Olivia looked at her husband and nodded. "We can do that."

"Let's try to feed him now." The nurse suggested. She showed them the proper way to hold him while they fed him. She passed the bottle to the new mom, who popped it into her son's itty bitty mouth. He didn't seem too interested at first, but then his mouth opened and he took the nipple into his mouth and started sucking. "This boy right here is a pro!" She chuckled. He's acting like you starved him for the past eight and a half months.

Olivia was fascinated by watching him eat. He just naturally knew what to do. After a minute, she looked up at the nurse and asked, "When should I burp him?"

She glanced at the bottle and expertly guessed that the bottle was about one fourth gone. "Go ahead and see if you can get one out of him now. Put him up on your shoulder or sit him on his bottom and lean his body towards the palm of your hand. Then pat his back repeatedly."

Olivia very gently put him up over her shoulder and tapped his back while looking at the other two adults in the room. The baby whimpered, clearly not impressed with being separated from the food. "You're gonna have to pat him a little harder than that." When the new mother gave her a horrified face, she laughed. "He's not going to break. To get those air bubbles out, you have to bring them up and that gentle of a tap isn't going to do it." She watched Olivia pat the infant's back a little harder and smiled at her. "Better!"

Sure enough, the boy burped. His mother's pride knew no bounds and neither did her smile. "That's momma's big handsome fella." She looked at Fitz and asked, "Does daddy want to feed you now?"

"He does." Fitz announced quickly. Olivia rolled her eyes and handed the baby to him. Fitz popped the bottle into his mouth and he went to town with it. "Look at him go, Liv! He's a natural."

"He's a Grant. Of course he's a natural." Olivia sassed.

"Ummm, which Grant was the biggest eater until today?"

"Give me back my baby!"

"No way! He's our baby and we're having a male bonding moment here." Fitz looked back down at his son. "You ready to burp little man?" He put the bottle down and expertly put him on his shoulder and began patting his back.

"Fitz! You're hitting him too hard!" Olivia exclaimed.

"He's fine, mom." Cora said with a smile. No sooner did the words leave her mouth than the smaller male Grant let out an impressive burp. "See."

Fitz went back to giving the rest of the bottle to his son. He knew Olivia would hog the baby if he let her. He had no intentions of letting her!

"Oh! I forgot to tell you something! Those people out in the waiting room know that you've had the baby. They are very anxious to get into this room. I was supposed to tell you that earlier. Also, the two mothers? They gave me a message to pass along to you two. But I'm not comfortable repeating it."

Fitz laughed loudly, scaring the newborn. He began to cry. "Sorry buddy. Blame that on your grandmothers." Olivia held out her hands impatiently until Fitz reluctantly passed his back to his mother. "He can't even enjoy one day without the two of them upsetting him." Fitz joked.

"Go out there, give everyone the news, and bring some people back here to see him, Fitz. We've hogged him long enough." Olivia said with a smile as she continued feeling the rest of the bottle to her son.

"We? Listen woman, you are going to never put him down. If he even knows who I am before he starts school I'll be amazed."

Olivia looked down at her son. He had fallen asleep without finishing the bottle. "That's your daddy." She looked back up at her husband. "Now, go get the family. Only one person at a time, right Cora?"

"Actually, you looked stressed earlier. I made that rule up to get rid of all those people."

Olivia's mouth hung open. Fitz laughed loudly and gave the nurse a high five. "She deserves a raise for that one! Take care of my boy until I get back." Fitz walked out the door with a skip in his step.

He found everyone in the waiting room. They seemed to take up the entire room there were so many of them. Abby looked up and saw him coming towards them. "Well?" She asked.

"It's a boy!" He said with a huge proud grin. "And he's perfect. Seven pounds seven ounces." They all cheered and took turns hugging him.

"Can we go see him?" Everyone asked at once.

There was no diplomatic way to do this. Of course the grandparents had to go in there before anyone else or there would be bloodshed. Fitz decided to get them in and out so everyone else could pile in together. "Grandparents first. All four of you can go in together." They rushed past him carrying balloons, flowers, and blue candy cigars like he was nothing.

Olivia heard a knock on the door and said "Come in." Both sets of parents quietly entered the room together and quickly walked to her bedside. She held the baby in her arms so they could see his little face.

"Oh my goodness!" Emma put her hands up over her mouth and smiled. "You are most definitely a Grant, aren't you? Yes you are. Look at that handsome nose. He's absolutely beautiful, Olivia." Emma gave her daughter in law a hug, careful not to squish her brand new grandson.

Lila had no words. Instead she just looked at him and started crying. When she found her voice she said, "Congratulations, baby. He is such a little cutie." She pulled the edge of the blanket down a little to get a better look at his little face. "Look at all that hair! Can he spend the night with us tonight? Pleeeeeease?" She asked with a smile.

"No way! This is momma's baby." Olivia kissed his little cheek and rocked back and forth with him in her arms from in her bed. "I still can't believe he's here. It happened so fast!"

Thomas grabbed his son in a hug as the women prattled on with the baby. Nathaniel joined them, not wanting to join in the women talk about the birth itself and every single detail pertaining to it. "Congratulations, son. Another Grant male is just what this family needs." They looked over at the baby and gave his son a knowing smile. "He's gonna give you trouble when he's older."

"Why? Because I was a pain in the ass?" Fitz joked.

"Well, yea. That too. But I was thinking because he's so good looking, the girls are going to swarm your house." Thomas watched his son swell with pride at his words. "Teenage boys are no picnic. I hope I'm still around to watch you deal with it." He laughed.

"Dad" Fitz said with a chuckle.

"You two really do make beautiful babies, Fitz." Nathaniel said as he continued to look over his shoulder at his daughter and grandson.

"Thank you. I like to think he got the best of both of us. He's definitely adorable."

"Liv? When are we going to find out what his name is?" Lila tapped her foot impatiently on the tiled floor. "I think we've waited long enough. Don't you? Emma, help me out here."

"Yes, Fitzgerald! We want to know what our only grandsons' name is. We are too old to jump through hoops for it too. So tell us what it is already!"

Fitz went to his wife's bed and sat down beside her as four sets of impatient eyes stared at them. He looked at Olivia and said, "What do you think Liv? Do you think they have waited long enough? A few more days wouldn't hurt, would it?"

Olivia chuckled and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Don't be mean to them. They can all whip your ass, babe."

Fitz put his arm around her and kissed her temple. Olivia passed Fitz his son and listened to him address their parents. "We wanted to name him something different, but also wanted to use the names of the two men who mean the most to both of us. So his name is a mouthful."

"Are we going to find out what it is sometime today?" Thomas whined. Emma nudged him with squinted eyes. "What? He always has to make a production out of things. Just tell us."

"This is Lincoln Nathaniel Thomas Grant." Fitz announced. He looked at each of the dads when he said their names and then proudly looked down at his son. When Fitz looked up at their fathers again, he was pleased to see them both speechless and looking at each other. That's one way to shut them up, he thought to himself.

"Thank you for using my name in his, son. I love it. It's...perfect." Thomas looked down at the sleeping infant. "Of course it will be hell when he has to write it."

"That's exactly what I said!" Fitz exclaimed.

"It's quite an honor to have my name included in my grandson's name. Thank you. It really means a lot to me too." Nathaniel said. There was something in his eye all of a sudden. He looked away and dramatically made a point to try to get it out.

In an effort to save her husband some embarrassment, Lila held her arms out and said, "That is the perfect name for him. Lincoln just said he's ready for his grandmothers to hold him." She held her arms out to receive him.

"I heard him say that too." Emma said with a grin. "Stop hogging that baby and give him to us, Fitzgerald."

"Yes ma'am." Fitz said reluctantly handing him over. He looked at his wife and said, "Watch the two of them. They will try to walk out the door with him." He folded his arms across his chest and pouted while Olivia chuckled at him.

It took a while, but the grandparents had reluctantly left the room. The two grandmothers were elated and plotting ways to get him to their houses. The new grandfathers rolled their eyes at their wives and led them to the elevators. Abby and Yvonne saw them leaving and silently took the initiative to go meet their nephew before being summoned. Abby knocked on the door and the two women heard Fitz's voice telling them to come in. They looked at each other and grinned, and then pushed the door open and walked in.

They quickly walked to the hospital bed where the family of three were comfortably relaxing. Abby got there first and burst into tears when her eyes landed on the baby's face. Yvonne rolled her eyes at the redhead and said, "Get it together. He's gonna think you're the emotional one."

Abby nodded her head and wiped her eyes. "You're right. I needed that. Thanks."

"Ladies, this is Lincoln." Olivia looked down at her sleeping son and said, "Lincoln, these are your crazy aunts. Don't say I didn't warn you." Fitz chuckled and his wife asked her two friends, "Who wants to hold him first?"

"I think Abby needs another minute to get herself together. Gimme him!" Yvonne demanded as she sat down in a chair near the foot of the bed. Fitz brought Lincoln to Yvonne and sat near her to give Olivia and Abby a minute together.

Abby sat beside her best friend on the narrow hospital bed and asked, "How are you feeling now that he's on the outside?"

"Infinitely better! Apparently that was a pretty quick labor, according to everyone who has ever had a baby before? It was pretty tough, and definitely painful as hell, but I think I can do it at least one more time in a few years." She watched Yvonne talking to her baby and wondered what nonsense she was telling him.

"So, no surrogate?" Abby grinned.

Olivia chuckled at her friend. "No. And thank you for telling Fitz that I said that. He took the opportunity to ask me if I was kidding. Five minutes after I gave birth I might add!"

Abby laughed quietly and hugged her friend. "This has been a hell of a day. I'm just glad I was around when you went into labor. It was weird at times, but I'm glad I was there."

"I was really freaking out when my water broke. I'm glad you stayed with me until I got here."

"You didn't really give me much of a choice when you grabbed onto my robe and asked me not to leave you. Years from now, when we tell him about the day he was born, let's leave out the detail that I rode shotgun in an ambulance wearing nothing but a stolen robe." The redhead said smiling.

"That's the best part of the story though." Olivia teased.

"I can't believe you're a mom, but you're gonna be a great one! I'm really proud of you, Liv. He's absolutely adorable."

They both looked over at the two adults babbling at the sleeping newborn. "He really is cute, isn't he?"

"Don't be surprised if your very first job in a few years is to make your mom coffee. She loves her coffee. But you'll learn that soon enough." Yvonne told the infant.

"What are you over there telling my..." Fitz looked up at her with raised eyebrows and she paused before continuing. "our son?"

"I'm just warning him about your serious caffeine addiction." Yvonne shot back.

"I just gave birth. I read somewhere that after labor mothers have the strength to lift a car. Do you really want to be telling my son stories about me right now?"

Yvonne leaned closer to Lincoln's head and whispered, "She's cranky because she hasn't had any coffee since this morning." She kissed his forehead and gave him back to his daddy, who took him to Abby and placed him in her arms. The baby looked up at the woman holding him.

"What do you think about our little man, SuperGirl?" Fitz asked.

"He's kind of short, chubby, and American. Not my type at all." She said looking at her nephew. "But he's cute, has a great head of hair, and beautiful blue eyes. I can work with that. I'm your aunt Abby. We are going to do all kinds of fun things together. Yes we are. You are going to come spend the night with me and your uncle Stephen. And we'll stay up late, and eat junk food, and..."

"I thought you didn't want to babysit him?" Olivia interrupted.

Abby looked over at her friend. "You believed me when I said that? I was just kidding. Jeez." Looking back down to Lincoln, Abby said, "Moms! Am I right?" Lincoln gave a tiny smile and closed his eyes. That was all the encouragement Abby needed.

Everyone had been in to see the baby and went home. It was getting late and Olivia yawned loudly. She had taken a shower and the excitement of the day was catching up to her. "You ready to go to sleep, babe? You've got to be exhausted."

Olivia watched Lincoln finish the bottle she was feeding him. "I just need to rest my eyes for a little while. Then I'll stay up with him all night and you can sleep." She passed him to Fitz and pulled the blanket up to her chin. "Don't forget to burp him please. Love you."

"Love you more. Get some sleep, babe. I'm the burp master now. Tell mommy nite, Lincoln." Fitz changed the baby's diaper and washed his hands. He took the opportunity to put a long sleeved onesie on his son and wrapped him back up in his blanket. Fitz settled into a reclining chair and situated his son on his shoulder and began patting his back until he got a few burps out of him. Fitz cradled his sleeping son in his arms and watched him let out a little contented sigh, just like Olivia often times does.

Fitz looked over at his wife and saw that she was asleep. Lightly snoring even. He smiled. She had been nothing short of phenomenal with bringing Lincoln into the world. He decided to let her sleep and keep the night watch himself. Focusing his attention back on Lincoln, who was also passed out, Fitz began a whispered one sided conversation with him. "Do you know how lucky you are to have such an amazing mommy? She is one of a kind super special. She is going to love you so much and take great care of you. She will make sure you are fed, warm, clean, and always look adorable. When you learn how to smile, I bet she'll buy you a car. But if you say dada before you say mama I'll teach you how to drive it. Whaddya say? Do we have a deal?"

Olivia heard Fitz talking to Lincoln with her eyes closed and smiled right before she really did fall asleep.


	13. No Place Like Home

No Place Like Home

Olivia woke up early the next morning, feeling completely refreshed. She stretched lazily and looked around the room. Where the hell was she? The sleep was instantly gone from her mind when realization came to her. Lincoln! She quickly scrambled out of bed and went to his incubator. He was sleeping soundly, all bundled up in a blanket. She lifted him up and brought him to one of the visitor chairs and sat down with him, covering his face with kisses.

She wondered where Fitz was at when he walked through the door carrying a white paper bag. He set it down and kissed her cheek. "Good morning. Did you sleep ok last night?"

"Morning? What time is it?" She asked confused.

Fitz looked at his watch and said, "It's 7:49. You look like you slept well."

"Did you let me sleep all night? Why? What about Lincoln? Was he up a lot? Did you feed him and change him all night?"

"Liv, you just gave birth. I know you were exhausted, so I figured I'd let you sleep while I took the first night shift. He woke up for bottles. I changed his diaper every time he woke up and wrote down how much he ate and what time as well as if his diapers were wet or dirty. And before you ask, yes, I burped him thoroughly." He was feeling pretty proud of himself for handling everything Lincoln needed all night while Olivia got some much needed sleep.

"Where were you? And what's in the bag?" She asked skeptically.

Fitz grinned at her. "I was getting breakfast." He put his hands on the arm rests of her chair and leaned down to her face and pecked her lips. "For my loving wife. The carrier of my son. My beautiful queen."

Olivia giggled and pulled him down for more kisses, which he happily gave. "Thank you for letting me sleep. I was wiped out, but I only meant to sleep for a few hours. I feel like a new person right now. Have I told you that I love you today?"

Fitz pretended to think about it. "I don't think you have."

She put her palm on his cheek and said, "I love you so so much. Thank you again."

"I love you too. Now let's eat before Mr. Demanding wakes up for his breakfast."

"Don't you call my baby demanding!" Olivia said with mock disdain. She looked down at him while Fitz pulled food from the bag. "What makes you think he's demanding?"

Fitz chuckled at his wife. "Remember when we gave him his first bottle yesterday?" When Olivia nodded he said, "That's nothing compared to when he is hungry in the middle of the night! He wants food immediately! I'm actually surprised he didn't wake you up with his wailing."

"You don't wail do you Mr. Perfect?" Olivia cooed to the baby.

"Liv! He has a name. Stop giving him cutesy pet names for the love of God!" Fitz whined.

"I'm going to let that slide since you just called him Mr. Demanding, stayed up with Lincoln all night, and let me sleep. Thank you for getting breakfast. I'm starving."

Fitz pulled out a small oval plastic platter followed by a plastic fork and put them on the table. "I got you pancakes and bacon. And of course, a steaming hot cup of coffee."

"Ohmygod! I love you!" Olivia took the lid off of the platter and took the fork out of the plastic it was encased in. Fitz opened her little package of syrup and handed it to her and then watched as she poured it on everything on her plate. She speared a piece of pancake and brought it to her open mouth when Lincoln started whining in her arms. "Look who woke up." She cooed.

The whining turned into full on crying.

"Uh oh. He's probably ready for another bottle right now. The last time he ate was around five thirty. I'll take him so you can eat. Then you can change his diaper and get him settled." Fitz offered with open arms.

"That's ok. You eat your breakfast and I'll feed him. You took care of him all night. I got him." She said with a smile. "Is my little sugar booger hungry? Let's take care of that right now." Without looking up at her husband Olivia said "I know he has a name. I gave birth to him, so if I want to give him a new nickname every day for the rest of his life, then I'm gonna."

Fitz silently rolled his eyes, passed Olivia a bottle and packaged nipple, and then started eating. His eyes were feeling heavier with every bite he took. He took a long gulp of his own coffee and felt his eyelids close. He settled himself in the reclining chair and quickly fell asleep.

"Fitz? Babe?" Olivia was shaking him in an effort to wake him up. He was really out. "Fitz?" She said a little louder.

He startled awake at her shaking him. "Huh? What is it? Whassummatter?" he asked sleepily

She grinned at her barely conscious husband. He was rubbing the sleep from his eyes and peered up at her through his foggy blues. "I'm sorry to wake you up so soon after you fell asleep, but they are going to come and get Lincoln in a few minutes to get circumcised. I thought you'd want to be awake before they came to get him. He's gonna be a cranky little guy when he comes back. Aren't you? Yes you are."

Fitz took the baby from his wife's arms and gave him a sympathetic look. "Sorry, buddy. The good thing is you won't remember it when you're older. Not that that's any consolation today."

A nurse appeared in the doorway and smiled as she entered the room. "I'm here to take your son to get circumcised. I'll bring him back as soon as he's done." She checked Olivia's wristband and the Lincoln's. She waited for the new parents to part with their newborn. Olivia and Fitz kissed his cheeks at the same time and promised they would be there when he got back. The nurse placed Lincoln in his incubator and wheeled him out the door.

Olivia started to cry and Fitz held her close. "He'll be back soon. And we'll cover him with kisses and cuddles when he does." He promised.

"He's going to be in pain though. I don't want my baby to know what pain is, Fitz." She clung to him as the tears ran down her cheeks.

"He won't remember it. And he'll be fine in a day or two. Besides, he knows he will be in his mommy's arms the second he's back in this room." Fitz reminded her. "And that's his happy place."

Olivia gave him a smile and pecked his lips. "We all have a happy place, right?"

"We do." He said with a grin. "And you'll be able to have yours back very soon. Aren't you excited?"

She wondered how he always knew how to make her feel better? Always had the right words to take away her pain or take her mind off of what was bothering her. It made her thankful to have him. "I'm very excited! I have missed my happy place. Thank you."

"For what?" He asked.

"For always making me feel better."

He pecked her lips and said, "You're welcome. I love you, Liv." He put his finger on her lips when she opened her mouth to reply. "You know the drill. It's not possible." She grinned against his finger. God, she loved this man.

Once the highly upset youngest Grant has been calmed, fed, and changed he fell asleep. Olivia wouldn't put him down and watched him whimper as he drifted off. Momma's little man did not love that aspect of hospital life at all! No sooner had he stilled in her arms when the four grandparents came into the room, all demanding to hold him. Olivia silence them with a death glare and her index finger to her lips. Everyone stopped talking abruptly and looked to Fitz, who shrugged at them while wearing a grin. His girl had just shut them all down without saying a word. He was highly impressed. And kinda turned on.

"He was just circumcised. He's pissed off at the world right now and only his mother can calm him down. So let him rest and visit with us for a while instead. Okay?" Fitz explained.

"Awwww, poor little lamb." Emma whispered.

Lila looked on the verge of tears herself as she went to her daughter and grandson in her arms. She rubbed the top of her finger across his cheek. "Bless his heart. Has he been sleeping long?"

Olivia smiled at her mother. "He just fell asleep actually. I would give him to you, but daddy hasn't held him yet. I think Lincoln would appreciate a little male bonding today." Looking at her dad she said, "Daddy? Do you want to hold him for a bit?"

Nathaniel smiled gleefully and held out his arms. "Of course I do!" Taking the baby from his daughter's arms he told Lincoln, "That was unpleasant wasn't it, Link? It's hard being a man sometimes, huh? Grandad has you now. Pretty soon you'll be having breakfast with me and your Pops. Just us three men. And this day will be long forgotten."

Olivia leaned against Fitz's chest and watched her dad talk to their son. She shook her head with a smile as her husband put his arms around her and kissed her temple. She wanted to ask Nathaniel about why he shortened her son's name. And about how he apparently wanted to be called Grandad. That was news. Watching her dad as a grandfather was an eye opener. He was so much softer with Lincoln. It was really adorable. She decided to give him this moment with his grandson.

"Have you heard when the three of you are going to be released yet?" Lila asked her daughter.

"Not yet. Probably not until tomorrow though. They have to keep an eye on Lincoln and do tests. Nothing out of the ordinary, but it has to be done. And Fitz has to fill out a lot of paperwork too before we can leave."

"I'm sorry. What? Why do I have to do the paperwork?" Fitz asked from behind her.

"Because I gave birth. That trumps paperwork every time." She sassed.

"Yes, dear." Fitz said with an eyeroll. She knew he hated paperwork, but she did give birth and he supposed she had a point.

Thad and Robin showed up for a visit a short while later. When they arrived, Thomas was holding Lincoln and bragging about how handsome his grandson was. Thad hugged his brother and clapped him on the back congratulating him on his son. "It's about time we got another male Grant in the family. Good job big brother."

"He doesn't get all the credit for that you know." Olivia chimed in from a chair nearby.

"Men!" Robin chuckled, hugging her sister in law and handing Olivia a bouquet of flowers. "How are you feeling, Liv?"

"These are beautiful. Thank you both so much." She set the vase on the window sill and chatted with Robin. "I feel so much better now that he's here. I should be thanking him for sparing me from two more weeks of pregnancy. I don't think I could have done another fourteen days."

"Emma said you had this crazy super fast labor. I'm definitely jealous. Each one of the girls had me in labor for more than sixteen hours." Robin glanced over at her nephew and said, "He's such a little cutie pie. I want to hold him but I'm afraid of asking Thomas to share." She chuckled.

Olivia grinned at her. "I have an idea." She stood up and told the three males, "I'd like to take a picture of the four Grant men. Who knows? The four of you just might make it onto Emma's hall of fame?"

"That's a great idea, Liv." Fitz said. "Give me my son, old man. You've had him long enough."

"You call me old man one more time and I'll kick your ass, sonny!" Thomas threatened. Still, he gently placed his grandson into his son's arms.

Fitz, Thad, and Thomas stood in front of the window sill. Fitz held Lincoln up so his face could be seen and Olivia took the picture. "He's got the Grant look about him." Thad said with a smile.

"I've got years of holding him. You can take him if you want to?" He offered. Fitz passed his son to Thad and watched his face light up.

"Hey, buddy. I'm your uncle Thad. The cool uncle who will bring you over to help me keep those Grant ladies in line. They are gonna ooooh and ahhhh over you. Don't give in to that though. They will try to put hair bows in your hair and paint your fingernails. You gotta be strong with them. I expect you to look out for them when you're older too. We're gonna need you to chase all the boys away from them. You look like you can handle that job just fine." Thad looked up at his older brother and smirked at him. "Having a boy around is gonna have its benefits."

Fitz chuckled at his brother. "I know I'm going to have problems once this little guy gets older, but that's nothing compared to having three daughters. You might need to buy a gun."

"You ain't kidding. I'm thankful Elizabeth is so shy, but my God, Megan doesn't have a shy bone in her body. She's going to be the one who gives me the most trouble. It keeps me up at night now. I'm not looking forward to the teenage years."

Now Fitz was laughing. "Boys aren't much better. Remember how we were as teenagers? Very sly; like hunters. I might want to start worrying about the girls who have to go to school with him."

"Stop talking about my son like that, baby daddy." Olivia warned from across the room.

"Baby Daddy?" Thad mouthed to his brother with a raised eyebrow. Fitz grinned proudly and gave a slight nod.

"Hand him over. You've held him long enough." Robin told her husband. He reluctantly gave the now wiggling infant to his wife and invited Fitz to get a cup of coffee in the cafeteria. "I think he's starting to wake up. Maybe I'll get a few minutes with him before the crying starts?

"You can feed him if you want to?" Olivia offered. At Robin's eager nod, Olivia put the bottle together and they watched Lincoln open his eyes and then cry for food. "He's pretty predictable."

"Another quality of Grant men." Robin chuckled.

The happy trio had gotten quite a few visitors off and on through the day. Co-workers of both of theirs, friends, family, and even Charles had come by to see their new addition. Everyone wanted to see and get their hands on the new baby. Not to mention the countless times nurses came into their room to check on baby and mother. By the time the sun had set all three of them were tired and ready to go to sleep. Fitz most of all.

The next morning Fitz woke up feeling so much better. Olivia had taken the night shift and let him sleep. They were quickly becoming a good team with sharing the responsibilities of their son. Not that he had any doubts about it. Fitz glanced to his left and saw his little family was peacefully asleep. It was a sight that made his heart melt and made him thankful at the same time. He had everything anyone could possibly want and he wasn't going to take it for granted.

He went to the suitcase his wife had reminded him to bring from the ambulance ride. He grabbed a change of clothes for himself and quietly jumped into the shower. They were both still asleep when he opened the bathroom door and he quietly put his dirty clothes in a bag next to the suitcase. Feeling completely refreshed, Fitz stepped out of the room and called the one he always called when he needed help to carry out something without his wife's knowledge.

"Good morning! How's Super Aunt today?" He said with a grin.

"What's good about it?" Abby demanded groggily. "I have only had one cup of coffee this morning."

Fitz laughed at her honesty. "We're coming home from the hospital sometime this morning. I was wondering if you would like to help me out."

"I knew it. You want something. What is it?" She asked impatiently. The crazy thing was Abby liked helping Fitz do sweet things for Olivia. Giving him grief for it was just an extra bonus.

"You love it and you know it! You aren't fooling anyone, SuperGirl. I'd like to put some It's A Boy stuff in the yard so she'll see it when we get home. It will make the day more special for Liv."

"What's in it for me?" Abby countered?

"When we get home you get one hour of uninterrupted Lincoln time. It's the best deal you're gonna..."

"Done!" Abby said giddily.

"I thought that might do it." Fitz chuckled. "I'll text you when the doctor gives us our walking papers. Thanks, Abs."

"Yea, yea!" She mumbled before hanging up on him. She quickly downed the few sips in the bottom of her mug and went to jump in the shower. She was getting an entire hour with her favorite little guy. She really was getting the better end of the deal.

Fitz pulled the car into the driveway and grinned when he saw Abby's handiwork on display for anyone with eyes. There was a cardboard stork that said It's A Boy, a blue banner hanging from the mailbox with blue balloons tied to it, and another banner taped to the front door. She had earned the hour with her nephew, in his estimation.

It had taken them longer than expected to get home because Olivia wouldn't let him go over thirty miles an hour the entire trip. That had been super fun for the long line of cars who were stuck behind them. Honking horns, a few middle fingers, and angry impatient faces were what Fitz had gotten in return. Every time he had tried to go a little faster, thinking she was pre-occupied with Lincoln, she would look up at him from the backseat and firmly say, "NO!" He grit his teeth in silence and did what it took to keep baby momma happy, but he couldn't wait to get home so he could relax.

"What is all of this?" Olivia asked in wonder from the backseat.

"I dunno. It looks like a Party City truck tipped over in our yard." Fitz put the car in park and dropped the keys in his pocket. He went to the back door of the car and opened it on Lincoln's side. He grabbed the handle of the car seat as Olivia unbuckled the seatbelt. "It might have taken us two hours to get here, but welcome home, buddy." He grabbed the handle of the suitcase and went to the front door and unlocked it but waited for his wife.

She was busy looking around the yard at the cute stuff welcoming their son home. "Whoever did this is my favorite person. Well, after you."

"Better be after me, woman. I just drove at a snail's pace to get us home safely." When she raised her eyebrows he smartly added, "And I'd do it all over again! We have precious cargo and he must be kept safe."

"You make it sound like he's the President and we are Secret Service." She chuckled.

"He could be one day. Come on, let's go in. It's freezing out here!"

Olivia opened the front door and walked inside. "Holy shit! It's freezing in here! Whyyy is it so cold in here?"

"Oh wife. How quickly you forget. This place was kept at negative four degrees at all times because you wanted it that way. Remember?" He kissed her nose and watched her shiver. "You just couldn't get cool enough."

"Clearly pregnancy makes women insane." She cut her eyes at him and pointed a finger in his face. "Do not respond to that! I'm gonna want a cup of co..."

"Done and done! The yard has been decorated. The coffee just finished brewing. Give him to me!" She held her arms out eagerly as she watched Fitz set his car seat on the couch and begin unbuckling Lincoln. "And I turned off the air conditioner! No one in their right mind should ever have their house this cold!"

"Wait! You did all of this for time with Lincoln?"

"Well, yea! I get a whole uninterrupted hour with him. Now, go put on a coat, get a cup of coffee, and leave me and the munchkin alone." When Olivia just stood there gaping at her friend, Abby said, "Beat it, Liv!"

"You know all you had to do was ask and you could've had all the time in the world with him. I wouldn't have made you do anything. By the way, I'm pretty sure he dirtied a diaper on the way home. His diapers and wipes are in the bag. Enjoy your hour." Olivia turned toward the coffee pot with a huge grin on her face. Fitz held out a palm and she slapped it, and then pecked his lips before pouring a mug and disappearing into their bedroom to wash the hospital off and change into some pajamas.

Fitz felt bad for Abby, even though he found the situation hilarious. He caved and changed his son's dirty diaper since she had decorated for them. Once his tiny booty was clean, Fitz watched Abby put some long sleeved pajamas on Lincoln and kiss his belly before carefully pulling the zipper up to his chin. He was seriously the cutest baby Abby had ever seen and she planned to spoil him completely rotten. Of course there was a long line for that already.

Fitz told Abby he was going to take a shower and that she should come and get them if she needed anything. Anything at all. She pointed out to the new father that the newborn had been changed and put in comfy pajamas and was sleeping. Abby had rolled her eyes and shooed him away.

She held Lincoln in her arms and took a couple of cute selfies of the two of them and sent one to Yvonne. Twenty seconds later her phone chimed, alerting a phone call. Abby knew who it was without having to look at her phone. Before answering it, she looked at Lincoln with a big grin and said, "Aunt Yvonne is probably already on her way. Yes she is. And do you know why? Because she's jealous."

She picked her phone up and pushed a button then put it to her ear. "Hiiii Yvonne. What are you up to?"

"Man, it didn't take you long to worm your way into their house and steal their kid! I'm coming over and you're gonna share Lincoln log."

"I dunno? The munchkin looks pretty content right where he is. We'll play it by ear when you get here." Abby teased with a grin.

"I'll be there in ten minutes. I'm holding him you greedy bitch!" Yvonne said before she ended the call.

"Getting reinforcements is so easy." Abby told Lincoln with a smirk. "She wants to hold you? She gets to change the next diaper."

Olivia and Fitz had each showered and were laying in each other's arms on their bed. It was peaceful and just so needed. Even if it was just for a minute. Their bedroom door was open and they could hear Abby talking to their son. She was repeatedly telling Lincoln to say Abby. She said her name slowly as if the newborn would finally catch on and just say it. Olivia giggled quietly at her ridiculous friend and Fitz joined in with his own laughter. "She's going to make sure that she's Lincoln's favorite person besides us. You realize that, right?" She warned.

"She should be his favorite. Abby is pretty great. Lincoln will see that for himself and will just naturally love her. She's family to us." Fitz said.

"We are pretty blessed to have so many amazing people in our lives, aren't we?" Olivia held her husband tighter.

Fitz kissed the top of her head. "We really are. And all of them will love Lincoln and help shape him to be a truly amazing man."

"That's all I want." Olivia said as she leaned on her elbow and looked down at Fitz. "For him to be as good a man as his father."

"Well..." Fitz began with a grin.

"No, don't say anything sarcastic this time." Olivia pushed his damp curl off his forehead and gave him a smile. "I want Lincoln to be as big hearted, thoughtful, smart, and creative as you are. Nothing would make me prouder as his mother than to see him watch you and learn how to be such a genuinely good person."

Fitz was touched by her words. He lifted his head to capture her lips in a sweet kiss. Resting his head back on the pillow, he said "Your faith in me means everything, Liv. I know we're going to make mistakes. I think everyone does. But we are a damned good team. We showed marriage how it's done. We rock at marriage! This next chapter of our lives is going to be trickier, and will probably test us in all kinds of crazy ways that we haven't even thought of yet. But I know if we stick together with patience, respect and above all, love, there's nothing we can't deal with."

Olivia wondered if any other female felt as confident as she did? She had the last good man in the world and he was completely head over heels in love with her. He wanted nothing more than to work with her in raising their beautiful son together and teach him how to be a decent human being. Life was pretty damned good right now and Olivia took a minute to appreciate that fact. Coming back to the present, she looked at Fitz for a moment before leaning down and kissing him. "There's no one I'd rather do life with."


	14. Stressed and Blessed

_Thank you all for supporting my crazy version of Olitz. It means so much more to me that I can ever truly say._

Stressed and Blessed

"I have sung him every song known to mankind! I've tried feeding him, changing him, walking with him, rocking him, covering him up, and taking the blanket off. Nothing works! He just won't stop crying, Fitz!" It was then that Olivia broke down and began crying too. "I don't know what else to do. I'm just...exhausted!"

Fitz held her in his arms as Lincoln wailed uncontrollably in hers. "Babe. You should have woken me up sooner so I could help. You don't have to do everything by yourself just because you're his mother. Go lay down for a while; I've got him." Fitz took Lincoln out of Olivia's arms, kissed his cheek, and cooed, "What's the matter with daddy's little buddy?"

"I'm sorry we woke you up. I really didn't mean..."

"Hey, don't apologize to me. Not for this. We're doing this together. The good, the bad, and the ugly. I've got him." Fitz gazed down at his crying son and gave him a sympathetic look. A memory of something his brother told him several years ago flashed into his mind and he said, "We might go for a car ride?"

"A car ride? It's three in the morning, Fitz! Why would you take him for a car ride now?" Olivia asked feeling utterly confused and taking Lincoln back into her arms.

"When Elizabeth was a baby she had colic, and cried all the time. The only thing that calmed her down and put her to sleep was riding in the car. I'm gonna give it a try and see if it works." Fitz grabbed the car keys and went outside to start the car. He ran back in the house and shivered from the cold outside.

"I feel like a failure. Nothing I did worked. He's never done this before and after a few hours we were both upset." Instead of going to bed, Olivia gently placed him in his car seat, kissed his cheek, and then put a blanket over him. "Are you sure about this?"

Fitz wrapped his arms around her and said, "You are not a failure. He's just a few weeks old and you're still figuring out what he needs. Give yourself some credit, babe. At least we know his lungs work just fine."

Olivia looked down at their son, still crying. "I hope the car ride works. Please go very slow and be careful. Maybe I should go with you?"

"No, you don't need to go with us. I will go slow, I promise. Go get your ass in bed, wife. We'll be back shortly." He pecked his wife's lips and walked out the door with an unhappy Lincoln.

Once Fitz had the car seat buckled he got into the driver's seat and put on his own seatbelt. Lincoln was still wailing unhappily. "Link. Buddy. It's gonna be okay. Sit back and enjoy the ride." He pulled out of the driveway and very slowly drove around.

At first Fitz thought Lincoln would never stop crying. He had no idea how Olivia was able to form entire sentences earlier after listening to him cry for just six minutes in the car. But then something magical changed. The crying suddenly stopped. It took Fitz a few moments to realize that it had in fact stopped. Naturally, he worried that his son had stopped breathing so he pulled over at the closest stop, a twenty-four hour fast food place, jumped out of the car, and jerked open the back door.

Lincoln was sleeping like the angel he is. Fitz was in shock. "Son of a bitch! It worked!" He quickly clamped his mouth shut and closed the door to keep the warmth inside the car. When he was back in his own seat, with a huge smile on his face, Fitz figured he might as well take advantage of where he was. He had earned it. He pulled into the drive through and ordered a cheeseburger and chocolate shake. He pulled into a parking spot and ate his food in peace while his son slept. He hoped his wife was asleep right now too.

Forty minutes after he had left the house, Fitz pulled into the driveway. He very quietly took Lincoln into the house, careful to keep him covered up from the freezing December weather. He put his keys into the bowl and locked the door behind them. The car seat was deposited on the sofa and he peered behind the blanket to make sure his son was in fact still asleep. The new father threw his fist into the air upon realizing Lincoln was out.

"The care ride actually worked?" Olivia whispered. She hurriedly made her way into the living room from their bedroom and peeked at Lincoln.

Startled, Fitz looked up at her and shot her a victorious grin. "I had my doubts too, but the proof is in the sleeping boy." He pulled Olivia into his arms and held her tightly. "Why aren't you asleep?"

"You took our son out for a joy ride at three in the morning. There's no way I was going to fall asleep until you guys got back." She pulled away from his chest, pecked his lips, and said, "You smell like...burgers?"

"Good guess!" Fitz congratulated.

"You didn't go out to get Lincoln to sleep, you went on a burger run!" She accused with a smile. "Now I want a burger!"

"I guess it's a good thing I know you so well, huh?" He pecked her lips once more.

Olivia's eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas day. "Where is it?"

He gave her a lopsided smile and said, "On the kitchen table."

She darted out of his arms and rushed to the table, opening the bag and unwrapping the burger. Olivia took a big bite of it and moaned happily. "This is so good! YOU are so good! Thank you."

"I do what I can." He grinned in the dimly lit living room. He left her to her orgasmic burger and took Lincoln out of his car seat to put him to bed. "We're going to lay down. See you in a minute."

Burger gone, belly full, and sleepy eyes, Olivia trudged to their bedroom. When she got there, she saw her two favorite guys passed out. She stood there for a minute to just look at them. Fitz was on his back with his arms thrown up on either side of his head and his head was turned to the right. Lincoln was laying in his co sleeper beside his dad and was sleeping in the exact same position right down to the direction his head was turned. It was the cutest thing Olivia had ever seen. She quickly grabbed her phone from the bedside table and took a picture before easing into bed herself.

The next morning Lincoln was back to his happy self, acting like nothing out of the ordinary had happened in the early morning hours. His parents however were bleary eyed, repetitively yawning, and couldn't get coffee in their bloodstream fast enough to function properly.

"Do you want breakfast?" Fitz asked his wife. Lincoln was in his daddy's arms as he made coffee with one hand. A trick he was quickly becoming efficient at.

"No thanks. I'm still full from that burger you brought me back. But more coffee. Please!"

"Good, because I don't have the energy to cook. I have a feeling when Lincoln goes back to sleep I'll be joining him." He yawned.

"You and me both. I can hardly keep my eyes open right now." She whined. Olivia looked at her husband and said, "You know, we could call in reinforcements? They would be too happy to come over and take care of him for a few hours so we could sleep."

Fitz passed Lincoln to Olivia so he could pour the coffee. He pecked her lips and replied, "I married the smartest person on earth. You call the grandparents and I'll pour the coffee."

"I easily have the better part of this deal." Olivia bragged.

An hour and a half later Nathaniel and Lila walked through the front door full of smiles. "Hi momma. Daddy." Olivia stood up to hug them.

Lila made a face at Lincoln and took him from her daughter's arms, completely ignoring Olivia. "How's Mr. Lincoln today? Did you want your Grandad and Mimi to come over to visit? Yes you did!" Lila never even looked at her daughter or son in law, instead focused all of her attention on having a conversation with her grandson. Nathaniel followed them to the sofa and sat down beside them.

Olivia looked over at Fitz, threw her hands up, and asked, "When did I become invisible?"

Fitz reached her in two steps, passed her a cup of coffee, and wrapped his arms around her from behind as they watched Olivia's parents have a one sided conversation with their son. Lila was babbling to Lincoln who was not old enough to appreciate his grandmothers attempts at chatting with him. "You're far from invisible, babe. I see you. Let's leave Lincoln with them and go take a nap together."

Olivia smiled and took another sip of her coffee. "Okay, we are going to lay down. Lincolns is due to get a bottle in about an hour. You have to fill a coffee cup halfway with water and then microwave it for a minute, then put the bottle in the mug to warm the formula up. He's going to have to be changed and then..."

"We know what we're doing don't we, Mr. Lincoln? We've fed and changed a baby before. Yes we have! Go on and lay down for a bit. We'll be fine." Lila knew her daughter needed rest. Her eyes had dark circles around them, and the fact that she and Fitz had been up with Lincoln until almost four am was all she needed to know. It brought back memories of her calling her own mother to come for a visit after Olivia had been born. Lila was overjoyed that she got to spend a little quality time with her favorite little curly haired man. She looked up at her daughter's worried expression and smiled. "We'll come get you if we need anything. I promise, baby. Please go get some sleep now."

"Thank you for taking care of him for us. We just need a quick nap. I promise we won't keep you here all day long." Olivia said.

"We'll be fine, Munchkin." Nathaniel promised. He watched his bone tired daughter and son in law walk into their bedroom and shut the door.

A few hours later, Fitz opened his eyes and heard silence in the house. He looked over at his wife, who was sprawled out on their bed with her mouth hanging open and snoring lightly. She had been so tired, trying her hardest to be the best mom to Lincoln and taking care of his every need. He did everything he could to help, knowing that her stubborn side wanted to do it all by herself. He couldn't be prouder of the mother she already was.

As he watched her sleep in perfect peace, he was reminded of how she hadn't been interested in having babies when the conversation was brought up before they even got married. She would change the subject or glaze over it until another one came up. The afternoon they spent with his family at Chuck E. Cheese where she looked like a deer in headlights the moment they walked in the door and saw all the kids made him smile.

And then another memory popped into his head. One where they two of them were at the hospital very early in the morning and she confessed to him that she wanted to get married and have babies with him. Fitz remembered how full his heart felt that day. He knew it hadn't been an easy thing for her to say out loud and he didn't really know what had made her change her mind, but Fitz was awfully glad that she had. Olivia was a great wife and mother, just like he knew she would be. As if she knew he was thinking about her, Olivia stirred in her sleep and opened her eyes and caught him looking at her.

Fitz gave her a smile, pulled a strand of her hair from her forehead, and said, "Hi."

Olivia didn't move, but returned the smile as well as the greeting. "Hi."

"Did you sleep well?" He asked.

"I must have. I feel so much better. What time is it?"

"Uhhhh," Fitz grabbed his phone from the bedside table and hit the home button. "It's one thirty."

"One thirty?" Olivia asked in shock, throwing the blankets back and quickly jumping out of bed.

"That can't be right." Fitz muttered.

Olivia was throwing on a pair of pajama pants and exclaimed, "We slept for four hours?" Suddenly she stopped moving. Fitz opened his mouth to question her about it but she held up a finger to silence him. "Why is it so quiet right now? If my parents have taken Lincoln home with them there will be hell to pay!"

Fitz chuckled at his wife. Apparently, that was the wrong thing to do. He coughed to haphazardly cover it, too late, put on a serious look, and said, "Your parents haven't taken him anywhere. He's probably asleep on your dad's chest while your mom watches soap operas. Relax, Liv."

Olivia opened the door of their bedroom and sprinted toward the living room to figure out where her son was at. She stopped abruptly in the hall as she passed the nursery when she heard her father's voice. She tiptoed back to the doorway of Lincoln's bedroom and peered in. Olivia felt her heart melt at the sight before her. Nathaniel was rocking the sleeping infant and quietly singing "You Are My Sunshine" to him.

Nathaniel looked up at his daughter and smiled at her. Olivia laid her head on the door frame and said, "You're singing him my song?"

It was still somewhat of a shock for Nathaniel to realize that his baby girl was a momma now. People were always telling him 'grandkids are better than your own kids' but he never believed them. Until now. He loved his daughter more than just about anything in the world, but he knew that Lincoln already had a special place in his heart that even Olivia couldn't touch. And he was only a few weeks old. Nathaniel imagined it would only get better the older Lincoln got. Still, Olivia was his baby and he wondered if he had hurt her feelings by singing that particular song to his grandson?

"He was getting a little fussy earlier when your momma changed his diaper and subsequently, his clothes from the mess he created. So I brought him in here and started singing to calm him down a little. It was the first song to come to mind."

"He hates being naked." She said still smiling. No one could calm an unhappy child better than her father, and they both knew it. And now Lincoln did too. "Looks like it worked."

"Like mother like son." Nathaniel looked up at his daughter and noticed the circles around her eyes were lighter. "Do you feel better? Did you get enough sleep?"

Olivia walked toward them and leaned down to plant a kiss on top of her son's head. "I feel like I slept for the state of New York. I was really wiped out from trying to take care of him last night, but I feel so much better now."

"Good. Let me give you some advice. When he sleeps, you need to sleep. You are two weeks into motherhood. The house will always need cleaning, the laundry will never get caught up, and a million other things will always tell you that you should be doing them while he sleeps. But you have to take care of yourself so you can take care of him. And that means sleeping when he sleeps at this age. Before you know it, he won't sleep all the time like this. He'll start staying awake more, which leaves you with less opportunities to take a nap with him. So nap with him now while you can."

"I'll try to dad, but..."

"No buts, Munchkin. I don't want to see you looking as exhausted as you did earlier. You've got to take better care of yourself. Please." He insisted.

"You need to listen to your father, Liv." Fitz added from the doorway. He had been listening to their conversation and had been waiting for the right time to jump in.

"Not you too." Olivia whined.

"Yes, ma'am me too. And you also need to remember that you aren't a single parent. We are raising him together and you need to tell me when you're feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or just need a break so I can help." Fitz raised his eyebrows at his wife.

"He's right, Munchkin." Nathaniel chimed in. "You tend to do things yourself instead of asking for help. You can't do that with Lincoln. You shouldn't do that with Lincoln. You have a husband who is eager to help. Let him."

"Are the two of you ganging up on me right now?" She asked as she crossed her arms over her chest and began feeling slightly defensive.

"Not at all, babe." Fitz said as he went to her. He ran his hands up and down her arms. "You have to let me help. You don't have to control everything."

Olivia looked into his beautiful blue eyes and saw the worry for her there. "I'll try. I promise. I didn't mean to make you feel left out. I wouldn't do that to you and Lincoln. I guess I just feel like as his mother I should be able to at least get him to stop crying. I hated that I couldn't though"

"What you are referring to is called mommy guilt. And it's a real thing, Munchkin. It's what happens when a new mother feels guilty for anything. For leaving the baby with someone to go out with her husband. For not being home to take care of the baby when she has to be at work. And for feeling like she can't do everything all the time. You are doing amazing. Don't stress out over something that you have no control over. Give yourself a break. This is new and you are still learning. There's no shame in that." Nathaniel gave his daughter a smile and watched the tears fall down her cheeks. He wondered if she was feeling more guilt or if his words had helped at all when she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you, dad. That makes a lot of sense and I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who has ever felt this way. I just want him to be happy and healthy. You always know how to make me see reason." Olivia stood up and wiped her eyes through a smile of her own. She turned her head towards the door and knit her brow. "What is that smell?"

Nathaniel went back to rocking Lincoln, who was still happily asleep in his arms. "Oh, that. Your mother made a huge lunch for all of us. She hoped you two wouldn't mind and went back and forth with herself over doing it," He glanced at his daughter and said, "Mommy guilt. Ultimately, she decided if you did get upset about it, you'd get over it." He chuckled.

Fitz darted out of the room and quickly made his way to the kitchen where Lila was finishing up the meal. She had on one of his bakery aprons and looked right at home moving about, pulling pots from the stove and dishes from the cabinets. Whatever she was cooking smelled delicious and Fitz was eager to eat. He sat on one of the bar stools, lifted the pot in front of him, and asked, "What can I do to help?"

Lila turned around and gently slapped his hand. "Stay out of the food for one!" At his not to be deterred lopsided grin she shook her head back and forth and said, "MmmHmm. You're too handsome for your own good. You can set the table if you want to eat."

"Yes ma'am." Fitz said enthusiastically. "What did you make? If I may ask?"

"I made chicken and dumplings and rolls. Both homemade. And there's a lot of it, so if you don't eat good tonight, you'll be eating it tomorrow too." She clucked her tongue.

Fitz stood rooted at the spot, staring at her. "I have the best mother in law in the world!"

"I thought you knew that already?" She sassed.

"I did, but I had no idea of your culinary skills on top of the amazing person that you are. You should move in with us." Fitz put his elbows on the counter and rested his chin in both palms, giving her his most charming smile.

Lila cackled loudly at him. "I've heard stories about your charm. Go use it somewhere else. Right now you need to set the table or this magnificent food is going to get cold." She motioned with her hands and said, "Scoot."

Fitz set the table and the four adults ate the best chicken and dumplings any of them had ever had while Lincoln slept in a bassinet in the living room. "Please reconsider moving in with us, Lila." Fitz begged.

"Please tell me you're not trying to steal both my girls, Fitzgerald?" Nathaniel said.

Fitz looked from Olivia to Lila and then to his father in law and said, "Well...yea. I am."

"You're terrible." Olivia laughed. Lincoln started fussing at the end of the meal and Olivia started to get up, but instead looked at her father, smiled, and said, "Come on, dad. You can help me do the dishes while Fitz takes care of Lincoln."

Nathaniel winked at his daughter and felt better about the words he had said to her earlier. They washed the pots and pans together blowing suds at one another and laughing after loading the dishwasher. It felt like old times when she lived at home and he enjoyed seeing her relaxed while doing the mundane task.

Lila made a bottle for Lincoln while Fitz changed his diaper and chatted with his son. "Hey, buddy. Did you have a good nap? I bet you're hungry huh? It's too bad you don't have any teeth, because you missed out on Mimi's chicken and dumplings." Lincoln began to whimper and Fitz chuckled at him as he zipped his pajamas back up. "It's ok, Link. We'll talk Mimi into making it again when you're older. Daddy just needs to teach you how to use what you've got on the ladies. Works every time."

"Is he ready for his bottle or did you want a few more minutes to finish charm school with him?" Lila asked with an arched eyebrow directed at her son in law.

Shit. He was busted. Fitz leaned over and kissed his mother in law's cheek. "Link doesn't need charm school. He's got this cute face and it's gonna be all he needs. Besides, did I say anything that wasn't true? I don't think so." He gave her a smile and added, "Thank you for cooking for us. It really was amazing."

Lila eyed him for a minute. "You're welcome. Anything I can do to help. Don't you let my baby get tired like that again. If you have to kick her in the ass to get her to listen, you have my permission to do so." She watched Fitz give her a petrified look and laughed at him. "What's the matter? They didn't teach you how to deal with a stubborn woman in charm school?"

"First lesson we got." He playfully replied. "Her dad had a talk with her earlier. I think it finally sunk in that she shouldn't do everything by herself. I'm hopeful that things will change and she will let me help out more. He's a really good father. He takes the time to talk to and to listen to her. He's a good man."

"He is a good man. That's why I snatched him away from Brenda Whitaker! I knew a good thing when I..."

"Wait a minute! You took Nathaniel away from another woman? I gotta hear this story, Lila. You little home wrecker!" He teased.

"There wasn't a ring on her finger! I was not a home wrecker. I just saw that he wouldn't be happy with her and made my move."

"What was your move?" Fitz looked over at his wife and father in law to make sure they weren't within hearing distance. "I won't tell anyone."

Lila followed his gaze and turned her head back to Fitz. "They already know! It's no secret." She said boldly before passing Fitz the bottle and watching him put it in Lincoln's open mouth. "My move was to tell him that Brenda wasn't the girl for him, that I was."

"Holy sh...crap!" Fitz corrected. "How did he take that news?"

"He thought I was crazy at first. But he came around to my way of thinking and dumped that girl for a real woman." Fitz's grin encouraged her to spill the rest of the story. "Brenda was a floozy you see. She had two other guys besides Nathaniel and she wasn't going to get rid of any of them."

"So you basically saved him from a lifetime of misery." Fitz offered.

"Exactly. And I can guarantee you that Brenda couldn't make chicken and dumplings as good as I can either."

"So we all won because of your boldness. I'm glad things turned out the way they did. I couldn't imagine having a mother in law named Brenda. She sounds like a nightmare." He grinned.

Lila laughed loudly and started Lincoln, but he was too hungry to cry about it apparently. "There's that charm I've been told about. You really could teach a class on the art of it."

Fitz took the bottle out of Lincoln's mouth and put him on his shoulder to burp him. "I'm glad we had this moment to talk. I like learning new things about you, Lila. It makes me appreciate and respect your crazy a little more and feel better connected to you. And I'm really glad the better woman won."

"What are the two of you over here conspiring about?" Olivia asked beside her father.

"Us? Nothing at all. Isn't that right, Lila?" Fitz asked.

"That's right. We are just watching Lincoln drink his bottle. Nothing interesting about that." Lila said.

Olivia looked at her dad. "For some reason I don't believe either one of them."

"I'm with you, Munchkin." Turning his attention to his wife he asked, "Are you ready to go home?"

"The invitation to stay is still there." Fitz offered with a hopeful look.

"We'd love to, but we can't. We have a wolf thing later. You don't want that in your house. Believe me." Lila warned with a chuckle. Nathaniel smacked her ass and she went to go get her coat.

Olivia put her face in her hands and shook her head. Her parents were such embarrassing horn dogs!


	15. Real Talk

Real Talk

"Ohmygod! Fitz!" Olivia screamed. "FITZ! Come here. Quick!"

Fitz ran into the nursery and almost cracked his skull on the doorframe when his sock covered feet slipped as he reached it. He dashed to the crib where Olivia was changing Lincoln's diaper. "What is it? What's the matter?"

"It fell off!"

"It fell off? His penis? What the hell do you mean his penis fell off?!"

Olivia slowly turned her head in her husband's direction and scrunched up her face at him. "What? Really? That's where your mind went with that statement? No one said his penis fell off."

"What am I supposed to think? You have his diaper off and are shrieking like a lunatic for me to hurry up and come in here. What the hell fell off if it wasn't that?" Fitz wondered what was supposed to fall off that was in his son's diaper? Surely everything in there was for keeping, right?

"His umbilical cord." She watched his face for understanding to hit.

"Oh! The black thing on his belly button? Cool. That was just gross to look at. Rubbing an alcohol soaked cotton swab over it to help it dry up was not the best part of my day either. I bet Link's glad that thing is gone too. Aren't ya buddy?" Fitz grasp one of his little feet and kissed it.

"Thank you for sharing how you really feel about the umbilical cord, Fitz. My point is, do you know what this means?"

"I haven't a clue. But I bet you're gonna tell me."

"I hate you sometimes." She laughed. Fitz laughed with her and put his arms around her as they both looked at the handsome infant in front of them wearing nothing but his curls. "It means we can give him a bath. Like a real bath in his little tub with the duckies."

"THAT is why you made me practically break my neck to come in here? A bath?" Olivia opened her mouth to say something but Fitz put his finger on her lips to silence her. "I'm just kidding. This is big news for Lincoln! I wonder if he will love having a bath or hate it?"

"There's only one way to find out." She sang. "I'll go run the water and you bring him in the bathroom in a few minutes. Okay? Teamwork on three!

Fitz looked at her like she had lost her damn mind.

"One...Two...Three..."

"Teamwork!" They both chimed.

Fitz stood beside the crib until he was summoned to bring Lincoln by his overexcited wife. The baby was still asleep but Fitz picked him up and held onto him. Bare baby butt felt weird on your arm, he thought to himself as he walked to the bathroom. When he got there, Olivia had the water going, a face cloth, a towel with a little monkey on the hood, fourteen toys floating in the tub, baby wash, and a huge smile on her face. He felt the need to make this first bath for Lincoln a happy occasion for his wife.

"This is the day you become a man, Link." Fitz said to his sleeping boy. He just knew the second he put his son in the little blue tub he was going to start screaming his little head off. But he'd do his part and be the excited dad.

"My baby is not allowed to become a man today." Olivia took Lincoln from Fitz and gently set him into the tub with warm water gathered by his feet. She set a wash cloth on his center to keep him somewhat warm while he was naked. His blue eyes blinked a few times before staying open and his balled up fists started shaking slightly. "Somebody is awake now, huh?"

Olivia got the facecloth wet and began washing his face and talking to him in gentle tones. "Momma's little man is getting a big boy bath today. Doesn't that feel good?" She looked at Fitz and asked, "Do you think the water is too hot or cold?"

"I don't know because you are hogging him again. Let me feel the water and I'll tell you." Olivia stuck her tongue out at him and he said, "Be glad you're on a medically induced sex hiatus right now or you would be..." Fitz looked at their son and then back at his wife and then back at his son. "You would be..."

"I would be what?" She teased.

Fitz huffed loudly. "I can't talk sex stuff when Lincoln is right here in the same room."

Olivia threw her head back and laughed loudly at him. "Seriously?"

"Shut up. The water is fine." He grumbled as she continued to laugh at him. "But when your little hiatus is up..."

Olivia kept her right hand on Lincoln to make sure he was safe, rubbed her boobs against her husband's chest, and whispered in his ear "What's gonna happen when I'm cleared for sex, Mr. Grant?" Olivia could see the frustration on his face. She waited for his answer.

"I'll...tell you later. Concentrate on bath time, Liv!" He growled angrily. His wife grinned happily at him. He stuck his tongue out at her for spite.

Olivia put some baby wash on the face cloth and spread suds under Lincoln's chin, on his belly, arms, hands, legs, feet, and everything in between. Fitz filled a cup with water and rinsed him off until all the bubbles were gone. "Are we gonna wash his hair?"

"Why not?" Olivia said smiling at Lincoln. "We just can't get water in his ears."

"How are we gonna do that with him in this little tub thing?"

"Momma has a plan. We're gonna wrap him up in the towel, lay him on the counter, and wash his hair in the bathroom sink. Whaddya think?" She asked proudly.

"Okay. Mommy's plan it is. Pick him up and give me my boy."

"Why do you get the first adorable wet cuddles?"

"It's a man thing. You wouldn't understand."

"Ha. Ha." She replied humorlessly. "He's two weeks old. Don't start that man sh.." Olivia glanced down at Lincoln, who was looking at her. "crap with me." She handed the wiggling newborn to his father and pulled the plug on the side of the small tub to let the water run out.

Fitz looked at Lincoln and his mouth formed a perfect O. "Mommy almost said a bad word, Link." He looked at his son and smiled. "Are you ready to get your hair washed little man? Daddy's curls always feel softer when they get washed. I bet yours will too."

Olivia was listening to her husband talking about his hair and she glanced at it. Fitz had amazing hair. She tried to remember the last time she touched his curls but couldn't. Her mommy brain was already mush. She saw Fitz's mouth moving but wasn't listening to what he was saying. She was still thinking about touching his hair. She bit her lip and concentrated on a loose curl on the back of his neck.

"Liv? Hello? LIV?" He saw her eyes dart to his and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

She reached her right hand up and grabbed a handful of his hair and jerked him down for a kiss. Kissing him was sooo good!

Fitz pulled away from her with wide eyes and exclaimed, "What the hell? Not in front of Lincoln!"

"Sorry. I just needed a moment."

"You need a lot more than a moment. Just wait until this damn sex desert is over! Lincoln is going to bed early that night and then you and me are gonna have a lot of moments." He threatened. Olivia was thinking about it. He could tell from the look on her face. He leaned down to her ear and whispered, "Four weeks to go." Her eyes almost crossed. Yea, he still had it.

Olivia shook her head in order to clear it from the sexual haze it was in. "Hair washing. Right." She grabbed the baby shampoo from the side of the tub and dropped it on the floor.

Fitz grinned widely. Four more weeks of torturing her. It could be fun?

"Wash his hair. I'm going to go get his pajamas and a diaper and put them in his bed so they will be ready when he's done. And I'm going to make some coffee and a bottle. You good?"

She started walking out the bathroom door and Fitz, panicked, called out to her. "Wait!" Olivia stopped and turned around to face him. "You're just gonna leave me here to wash his hair by myself so you can make coffee? That hardly seems fair!"

"You were just complaining the other day that I don't let you help enough. That I do everything myself. That you feel left out." She smiled at him and gestured to their son. "This is me stepping back so you can help and be involved. I'll meet you in the nursery when you're done."

In that moment, Fitz wondered why he even talked half the damn time? He took a deep breath and smiled at Lincoln. "Let's get your hair washed buddy, and then put you in some comfy pajamas. Doesn't that sound cozy?"

Olivia listened from their bedroom. It wasn't that she didn't trust Fitz with Lincoln. She just wanted to make sure that he washed their son's hair the way she wanted him to. It wasn't controlling. It was concern. Yea. She was satisfied that he was doing just fine by himself, and even found it entertaining as she listened to her husband try to open the shampoo bottle with one hand while the other held Lincoln. She went to do the things she told Fitz she was going to do.

After the very unwelcomed hair washing, Fitz carried a crying Lincoln into the nursery with Olivia close behind. His hair was clean and he smelled so good. Fitz took advantage of it and held him near his shoulder, putting kisses on his screaming face. "Clean Link is the best Link." Fitz murmured into his ear.

When the three of them got to the nursery, Fitz had calmed his son down by humming to him. When they reached his crib, Lincoln was looking up at his father. Beautiful blue eyes staring into beautiful blue eyes. "Hey, buddy. Are you happy now? Do you want to rock with your daddy for a minute before you get dressed?"

"Fitz. Let's put his pajamas on first. Then you can rock him while you feed him his bottle." Olivia suggested.

"It'll just take a minute. Besides, you know as well as I do that he is gonna be pissed off all over again when you take this towel off of him. He hates being naked."

"I kinda want to keep it that way for a long time." She murmured.

"Just for a minute, Liv. Pleeeease?" Without waiting for her to answer, Fitz sat down in the white rocker and just enjoyed his son. He was beautiful and perfect in every way. Fitz wished Lincoln would stay this little forever. Just so dependent on his parents for everything he needed or wanted. So content to just sit and listen to his father's voice and make his father feel like whatever he was saying was the most important thing he had ever heard. Fitz already loved everything about being a dad. He kissed his son's cheek and eventually sighed and stood up to take him to his crib.

"I'll spare your ear drums and get him changed." Olivia offered. "but you can watch."

"Gee thanks, smartass." Fitz retorted.

Olivia stood in front of Lincoln and opened the damp towel. Just as she reached for his diaper, she squealed loudly and pushed both hands in front of her, turning her head. "Lincoln Nathaniel! Uh uh! That is so gross baby! And you just had a bath!"

Fitz was laughing uncontrollably as he witnessed his son peeing on his mother. He stood beside his wife as she grabbed the towel and covered Lincoln back up with it. "That was the funniest thing I've ever seen! That's my boy, Link!" He reached an open palm down to his son's hand. It just happened to be the exact time that Lincoln's hand involuntarily moved down, hitting his fathers. "Liv! Did you just see that? My son just gave me his first high five!" He could not take the proud grin off his face if he tried.

"I saw it. Lincoln is two weeks old and you two are already ganging up on me. You pee on your daddy next time, okay? Not mommy." Olivia said, giving her son a look. He began to cry as if his feelings had gotten hurt from her words. "Shhh. It's ok, little man. Let's clean you up and put your pj's on."

Lincoln Nathaniel Thomas Grant really hated to be naked and reminded his parents of that fact very loudly as Olivia tried to clean him up with the face cloth she had used when he had his bath. He was dried off with a clean towel and as soon as a diaper was put on him Fitz scooped him up, held him close, and sat back down in the rocker. Remembering what had calmed Lincoln down earlier, Fitz starting humming once again. The crying ceased almost immediately, causing Fitz to smile triumphantly at his wife. She wanted to stick her tongue out at him, but went to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee instead.

"There's my happy boy. Daddy needs to remember that humming is magic when it comes to calming you down. Are you gonna let me put your pajamas on now if I promise to be gentle but quick? If you don't cry that means you love me more than mommy. If you do cry, that means you love me the same as her. Whaddya say?" Lincoln peered up at his smiling father and looked like he was listening intently at the words that were being said to him. He yawned in response. "I'll take that as a yes. You can eat when we're done, okay?"

Fitz put his son into his mint green pajamas with turtles on them, an adorable pair that Yvonne had bought for him. Lincoln never whimpered as his father hummed to him the entire time, but stared at him with great fascination. Fitz was feeling like the king of the world at the moment that had accomplished some outstanding feat. He gently picked up his son and the two made their way to the kitchen for the promised bottle.

Olivia was sitting on the couch and had just started watching a chick flick when they came in. She turned her head and asked, "How did you get his pj's on him without the wailing?"

Fitz was patting Lincoln's back repeatedly as he walked into the kitchen. The smaller Grant male was up near his father's shoulder and still had his eyes open, knowing food was coming and not wanting to miss it. "Grant men do not wail, do we Link?" He grabbed the bottle and wiped the wet sides off with a kitchen towel and turned to join Olivia on the couch. When she continued looking at him, waiting for an answer, he shrugged and said, "He likes it when I hum to him. Besides, we made a deal."

She eyed her husband skeptically. "What kind of deal?"

"Telling you would be breaking man code." He cocked his head to the side and gave her a sympathetic look. "The first rule of man code is that you don't break it."

Olivia rolled her eyes dramatically. "Do you want me to feed him his last bottle before he goes down?"

"That's ok. You've had a hard day today. Plus, you got peed on. Take a break. You deserve it. I've got him, and I'll put him down for bed." Fitz leaned down over the back of the couch, clutching his son tightly, and Olivia pecked his lips. He stood up and took Lincoln back into the nursery to rock him while he ate.

Olivia nodded her head and took a moment to appreciate the quiet. Lincoln could pee on her every single day if it meant Fitz would put him down for bed at night. She sipped her coffee, pulled the throw blanket off the back of the couch, and concentrated on the movie.

Fitz emerged from their bedroom thirty minutes later, made his own cup of coffee, and sat down on the opposite end of the couch. He set the baby monitor on the coffee table as well so they could keep an eye on their little man as he slept. After taking a sip of his coffee and setting his mug on the coffee table in front of them, Fitz picked up his wife's feet and put them in his lap. He began rubbing them while they watched the movie together. He was so engrossed in the movie that he almost missed the moan that fell from his wife's lips. But he had heard it.

His hands froze and Fitz looked at his wife from the corner of his eye. She had her eyes closed and looked on the verge of...an orgasm? "Are you alright?"

"What the hell did you stop for?" She whined.

"It sounded like I was hurting you?" He was lying but was also trying to give her an out to explain the noise that had come from her.

"It doesn't hurt at all. It feels fantastic. Do it some more! Now!"

"I was rubbing your feet, not your..."

"I know exactly what you were rubbing! I can't help it if it feels so damn good. Besides, you have three more weeks before you are allowed to rub my.."

"That's actually not true." He said with a plan brewing and a slight smirk. "I have three more weeks until I'm allowed to stick my p in your v."

Olivia tried pulling her feet from his lap and asked, "How old are you? Twelve?"

Fitz gave her a full on smirk at this point. " Thirteen. I just had a birthday. We've been over this a few times so you should know this about me already." When she giggled, Fitz knew it was time to turn things up a little. "Do you remember what the doctor said when you and Lincoln were released from the hospital? About sex?"

"Yea. No sex for six weeks. I should be cleared when I go for my first postpartum checkup. It's already been scheduled for six weeks from the day I had him. Because I knew I'd have to have you as soon as humanly possible."

He slid to the middle of the couch and his' wife's legs went around his waist automatically. "Mmmmm. That's my girl. Your doctor said no intercourse. He never said anything about oral." He watched his wife's eyebrows shoot up skyward at the loophole. "I don't know why I haven't thought of that before. I'm just saying, if you want some relief I'm the man for the job."

Olivia thought back to the conversation with the doctor that had delivered Lincoln. He had in fact said that sexual intercourse was banned for six weeks, but he had said nothing about anything else. Something Olivia hadn't paid much attention to, probably because she had just recently given birth and her mind was elsewhere. She bit her lip and looked Fitz in the eye. "So, you're saying that you want to..."

Fitz grabbed his wife by the waist and pulled her onto his lap attacking her mouth with his own. He pulled away from her for a moment and said, "I don't want you to feel pressured. If you don't want to, or you're too tired, or if it's just too weird right now it's okay, Liv. I was just offering."

"I'll admit that it's been tough getting into the swing of things with a newborn. It's a lot, but it's nothing I can't handle. I think we've been doing pretty great together with Lincoln and all things baby related. And while my mind is mush most of the time, other parts of me aren't and I really miss grown up time. It's just.." She dropped her head.

"It's just what?" Fitz asked. When she remained quiet, he put his finger under her chin and lifted her face to his. "Hey. Talk to me. It's just what?"

"It's embarrassing." She admitted, averting her eyes.

"Liv, I saw a human being come out of your body. It was completely amazing and I don't know anything that would compare to that."

"This is different."

"Tell me what you're thinking. What's different?" He asked gently. Something was definitely bothering his wife.

She took a deep breath and slowly let it back out, then looked him in the eyes. She was going to have to say it out loud to his face. "I just had a baby. I feel that the two of us are doing a great job taking care of Lincoln and taking turns with each other and are mindful of how tired the other one might be, we are great parents. But it's only been three weeks since I had him. I still have a pooched belly and some of the baby weight on me. I don't feel attractive and I'm really nervous about you seeing me naked."

Fitz wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. When she laid her head on his shoulder he started rocking them back and forth on the couch. Still holding her he said, "You always have been and always will be the most stunning woman I have ever seen. From the day I laid eyes on you at the dry cleaners, you were MY beautiful girl. I have never thought anything differently ever since then. And I know I never will. Maybe I haven't expressed that enough to you since you've had the baby? I'm so sorry, babe. I think you are perfect in every way and you should never be nervous about anything when it comes to me. I'm simply here to support you, encourage you, and bask in your wondrous timeless beauty.

And I'm not saying any of this because I want something from you sexually. In fact, let's forget about that for a few more weeks. You mean too much to me for me to even allow you to think that way. I feel like I have done you a disservice somehow." He pulled away from her and saw the tears falling down her cheeks. Fitz patiently wiped them away with the pads of his thumbs. "I love you so much. You are beautiful inside and out. Don't you ever think anything other than that. Do you hear me?"

Olivia nodded and whispered, "I love you too" and put her head in the crook of his neck. This damn man had done it again. Reduced her to happy tears while making her feel like the most beautiful princess on earth. The thought ran through her mind for the umpteenth time, how did I get so lucky to get him? She still had no answer to that unspoken question, but she was so glad that she could call him hers. When she had calmed down she wiped her eyes and asked, "Do you want to watch this movie with me?"

"Absolutely!" Fitz said enthusiastically. "What is it?"

Olivia grinned. "It's a chick flick called Serendipity. Can you stand it?"

"As long as I can cuddle with you I'll suffer through it." He kissed her cheek and added, "I'm sorry that I brought that up too..."

"No." She interrupted him and put her hands on his cheeks. "I'm glad we talked about it. I feel a lot better for telling how I feel. You have always made me think I'm nothing less than beautiful. It's just something I have to deal with myself. I love you so much, babe."

Fitz laid down on his side on the sofa and Olivia laid down in front of him. His right arm came around her and she held onto it and pulled the throw blanket over both of them. "What's this movie about anyways?"

"It's a story about love. How two people met one afternoon and spent an amazing day together, and then lost touch. But they spent several years looking for each other because life wasn't the same for them without the other one." Olivia explained.

Fitz held her tighter and said, "That sounds kinda like our story. I'm glad it didn't take us years to find each other after we met though. I would have missed you too much."


	16. It's The Little Things

Hey all! Just a quick note to let you know that I'm not sure if there will be an update on Tuesday or not. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

It's The Little Things

Christmas Day was here! Lincoln's first Christmas!

Olivia was excited and had made preparations before he had arrived to have a few things to open from Santa Claus. Fitz thought it was ridiculous for a baby a few weeks old to have presents from Santa. Lincoln could hardly stay awake for more than an hour. Watching him 'opening presents' was gonna take all day long!

But when he woke up for a bottle at 8:30, Olivia jumped up excitedly and began the process of heating it up while Fitz tried to soothe him from the sofa. He tried the humming thing, but Lincoln was just like his mother in the morning and hated everyone and everything until he got his drink of choice. Coffee for Olivia. Formula for Lincoln. Like mother like son.

"Link. Buddy. It's coming." Fitz gently bounced him up and down but it was no use. Lincoln wanted to eat NOW! "Let's go change your diaper while we wait, okay?"

"If you pee on your daddy I'll consider it my Christmas present from you, Lincoln!" Olivia called as she watched them walk away. Fitz stuck his middle finger up at his wife from behind his back and heard her laugh.

Fitz closed the door to their bedroom and had a little chat with Lincoln while he changed his diaper. "Hey, Link. You know what today is? It's your first Christmas. And even though you have no idea what that means, your super smart daddy has a plan. See, your mommy is our best girl and always will be. So, we gotta take care of her and make sure she feels special, because she is special..."

Olivia was drinking her coffee from the sofa as she waited for Lincoln's bottle to heat up. The baby monitor was still on from the night before and her ears perked up when she heard Fitz talking about her. Somehow Lincoln had stopped crying. Fitz was like the damned baby whisperer somehow. She wanted to be mad about it, but was too nosey to care at the moment.

"Your super smart daddy has bought your amazing mommy a present from both of us, because you are kinda lazy with laying around, eating, and pooping filling your days. It's okay. I covered for you. But you owe me some money for your part of the gift, okay buddy?"

Olivia put both of her hands over her mouth and giggled as quietly as she could.

"I'm going to let you give mommy her gift. You're cuter anyways." Fitz kissed his son's cheek and started rocking with him. "Here's the plan..."

Olivia turned off the baby monitor. As much as she wanted to hear her two favorite guys, she didn't want to ruin the surprise that was coming.

After Lincoln was fed he passed back out. Olivia tried to hold him in her lap and open a present but his eyelids became too heavy from having a full belly and he closed his eyes. Fitz didn't laugh but found the entire thing funny. After he put Lincoln back in his co-sleeper, he came back out and sat on the floor beside Olivia. They silently looked at the Christmas tree for a few minutes.

"Next year will be so much better for Lincoln. The one after that will be one of his best Christmases ever. When a kid hits two or three, they love unwrapping stuff. It's so much fun for them and it's so much fun to watch. Next year, he'll be happy to sit in an empty box for an hour."

Olivia chuckled at him and laid her head on his shoulder. "I just wanted him to have a few things to open, even though he can't open anything at all yet. It seemed like a fun idea."

She sounded so deflated that it almost broke Fitz's heart. "He'll open them when he gets up. We'll open them with him and he will love it! Don't get discouraged, babe."

"Can I give you your gift now?" She asked.

"Hell yes! I love gifts too! And I AM big enough to open them. Gimme!" Olivia handed him a large rectangular sized box and he eyed it and gave her a boyish grin. "Is it another day with my man, Duff Goldman?"

"I do not do repeat gifts. Besides, I didn't really have a lot of time to do anything quite as big as that. Just open it." She decided to mess with him. "Can I have mine too?" The look of panic on his face was worth bringing it up.

"Uhhhh, yea. You can open one now."

"Oooooh, I'm getting more than one gift? I'm so excited!" She clapped her hands and watched him hand her a small box wrapped in beautiful red paper. "When do I get the other one?"

"Later, impatient." He mumbled. Fitz began peeling the paper back in an effort to distract her from asking anything else about her present. He peered into the box once all the wrapping paper was gone and grinned widely. His head lifted and he looked at Olivia and said, "Awww, babe. I love it."

Fitz pulled out a beautiful wooden rectangular picture frame and admired the photos it held. There was Lincoln in various poses, in varied states of consciousness in three separate pictures. In the first one he was curled up on his side with a blanket loosely draped over him, leaning into the curve of a blue D. The second one had Lincoln lying on his back in mid-stretch, with his hands up by his head and his little back arched beside a huge blue A. And in the last one he was back on his side, with a little stuffed animal tucked under his arm as he slept beside the blue D. It was damn near the cutest thing Fitz had ever seen.

"I'm going to hang this up at work." He leaned over and kissed his wife's lips. "Thank you. This is amazing.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it. I thought the model was extra cute." She chuckled.

"Our son is the best looking kid out there. Hands down. Now open yours. I'm gonna go check on Link." He stood up from the floor and went into their bedroom to peek on their sleeping son. The adorable infant was swaddled in a blanket and still asleep, just as Fitz figured he would be. He opened his dresser and reached in the back of the drawer and pulled out the little black box with his wife's gift inside. He took the item out of the box and went to the co-sleeper.

He gently began the process of unwrapping Lincoln from the blanket he was swaddled in. "Don't you dare wake up yet," Fitz whispered. He unzipped his son's pajamas and pulled out one of his feet, and slipped the shiny silver ring on his big toe and prayed it would stay there until Olivia discovered it. He then put Link's foot back into his sleeper and slid the zipper back up to his son's chin and then wrapped him back up. The boy never stirred. Damn he was good!

When he walked back into the living room, he noticed the baby monitor on the coffee table and froze. Upon further inspection he realized it wasn't on and breathed a sigh of relief. "I forgot to turn this on when I put him down earlier. I'm gonna turn it on so we can see him."

Olivia had forgotten to turn it back on earlier too and just nodded her head at Fitz. She stood up and went to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank you for my coffee mug." She kissed his lips. "It's perfect."

Fitz put his arms around her waist after squeezing her ass and said, "You're welcome. It's true you know. Only the best wives become mothers. I just happen to think I have the very best wife."

She grinned at him and began playing with the curls at his neck. "You do?"

"MmmmHmmm. I know Lincoln has the very best mother." As if perfectly timed, their son began crying. Fitz pecked her lips and said, "If you go get him I'll make his bottle and fix you another cup of coffee. I haven't had near enough either."

"Deal." She looked into his eyes and felt so content. They had an amazing life together and she didn't see how things could get any better than they were right now. "I love you so much, Fitz."

He played with a strand of her hair between his fingers as he looked back into her brown eyes, trying to hold onto the moment before she left to go pick up their son. "I love you too. So damn much." He hugged her close and closed his eyes. He loved the little family that the three of them were, but truth be told, he missed moments like these with his wife. "Go change the boy's diaper before Charles comes over here and beats you to it." Olivia released him and he smacked her ass playfully before she disappeared to get Lincoln.

Instead of making coffee or a bottle, Fitz went to the couch, picked up the baby monitor, and sat down. He grinned when he saw his wife reach the co-sleeper and pick Lincoln up. "What's the matter with my little man? We can't have an upset baby on Christmas Day. No, we can't." She was the cutest thing in the world with their son. Olivia was bouncing him in her arms and the two of them headed to the nursery to change his diaper while she talked to him the entire way.

Fitz had gotten up off the couch and peeked in the doorway of their son's bedroom to watch her. She laid him down on his crib and began singing Jingle Bells to him. She was a terrible singer, but Lincoln must have enjoyed it because he was no longer crying. Fitz resisted the urge to join in with the song and instead quietly observed the two people in his life that meant the most to him. Olivia did a little spin and Fitz had to think fast and pull his head out of sight as to not be seen.

Olivia pulled the edge of the blanket and unwrapped him, still singing and making faces as she went. Lincoln was staring at her like she was Diana Ross singing at a sold out event, happily kicking his feet. It did everything to boost her ego and make her do another spin, giggling as she did so. She caught Fitz moving out of sight and it caught her off guard, making her momentarily freeze at being caught entertaining Lincoln. "Oooooh. Mommy got dizzy for a second there, Lincoln." Olivia said, trying to explain away her misstep for her husband's sake. "Let's get your diaper changed little man."

She pulled the zipper down over his belly and pulled out his left foot and planted a kiss on it. "Mommy loves your cute little piggies." She reached in his pajamas and grasped his other ankle, pulling out his right foot and bringing it towards her mouth to put kisses on his toes when she stopped halfway and gasped loudly. There on his big toe was a silver ring with three colorful stones on it. She pulled it off of his toe and held it between her thumb and index finger, bringing it closer to her face to inspect it.

The ring was a platinum band with three square cut colored stones set on a diagonal with tiny diamonds that sat on a wave pattern under them. At first Olivia didn't think the stones were significant, that they were just there to be pretty. And then she realized what they represented. There was a stone for Fitz, Lincoln, and her birth months. She was holding a Mother's ring! Holy shit! She brought her left hand up to cover her mouth and promised not to cry.

"Do you like it?" Olivia snapped her head toward the door and saw her husband leaning on the frame with a small smile on his handsome face. "Lincoln picked it out if you don't." He chuckled. "But if you do, then it was all me."

Olivia hastily pulled up the railing on the side of the crib to keep Lincoln safe from falling out and ran into his arms, kissing him. When she finally pulled away from him she said, "I absolutely adore it! Ohmygod it's beautiful! Thank you."

Fitz took the ring out of her palm and slid it on her right ring finger and kissed it. "The boy and I thought you deserved something pretty. We think you're amazing in every way and we love you. By the way, more stones can be added on if we end up having more babies. I asked."

"Of course you did." Olivia chuckled. "You didn't just put his birthstone on it, but all three of ours. I love it!"

Lincoln started whining from his crib, with no more concert to entertain him and Fitz went to finish changing his diaper. Once he was dry and clothed again the three of them went into the living room. Just as Olivia was sitting down on the sofa to feed him the doorbell rang. The two adults looked at each other with questioning expressions and Fitz got up to answer it.

He pulled the door open and saw four smiling faces on the other side. "Liv! There are four carolers here. You got any change we can give them?"

"What?" She asked completely bewildered with Lincoln in her arms.

"Let us in you idiot." Emma said as she pushed past him. He kissed her cheek even though she scowled at him when she went by.

"What your momma said." Lila chimed in, giving Fitz a look, but stopping long enough for him to kiss her cheek too and giving him a wink.

"Boy, we are out here freezing our asses off. Stop screwing around and let us in. We aren't here for you anyways." Thomas huffed with his arms full of packages, as he stomped his feet on the rug inside the door.

"How are you doing, Fitz?" Nathaniel asked. He had his arms loaded down with gifts too. When Fitz opened his mouth to answer him, his father in law added, "I'll be honest, I don't care right now. I'm here to see Link. We'll talk later."

Fitz took his father in law's coat and chuckled. "I feel so used."

"Get used to it, Sonny." Thomas said from the living room as he watched his perfect grandson drink his bottle like a champ.

"Hey, you guys!" Olivia chirped happily. She pointed at the two dads putting the gifts near the tree. "What's all this?"

"Merry Christmas, baby." Lila said, dipping her head to kiss her daughter's cheek, followed by her grandsons. "And Merry Christmas to you to Mr. Lincoln."

"It's Christmas! We brought gifts for our grandson." Nathaniel explained.

"ALL of that is for Lincoln? Good luck getting him to stay awake long enough to open any of it." She said chuckling.

"There might be one or two somewhere in there for his parents." Thomas said with a smile. Emma nudged his ribs. "Okay. Maybe more than a few."

"We knew you wouldn't be leaving the house with him just yet and we really wanted to see the three of you. So Lila and I plotted and, well, here we are." Emma explained. "He's getting so big."

"He is." Lila confirmed. "Growing like a little weed."

"Do any of you want coffee?" Fitz asked. "I can make a fresh pot?"

"Yes, please."

"Don't ask asinine questions, Sonny. Just do it!"

"I'll take a cup."

"I wouldn't say no either."

"Babe? Do you want any more?"

Olivia thought about it and decided what the hell? "Sure, I'll take a cup."

Fitz brewed the coffee while the elders hogged his son. They cooed over him, talked about how big and cute he was getting, and listened to Olivia tell the story of his first bath. They laughed at the peeing incident and Fitz's mother had stories of her own to share about when both of her sons had peed on her. Fitz rolled his eyes from the kitchen.

Lincoln stayed awake long enough to watch his mother and father open most of his gifts before his eyelids started drooping and he eventually fell asleep in Emma's arms. Olivia carried him back into their bedroom and put him down after wrapping him back up in a blanket.

Everyone had a cup of coffee in their hands when she returned and sat down on the sofa beside Fitz. Four sets of eyes were fixated on the two of them but no one spoke a word. Olivia looked at the four parents and finally said, "You're all acting weird. What's up?"

The four looked at each other with big smiles, wondering who would be the one to break the ice with their announcement. "We want to do something for the two of you." Thomas began. He wasn't scared of them or what they thought. They would follow orders or get their asses kicked. Simple as that.

"Something like what?" Olivia asked.

"Your anniversary is next week, and we know the two of you have been basically cooped up in this house for the past three weeks." Nathaniel added.

"We want you two to go to dinner together for your anniversary. You need to celebrate your wedding anniversary, dear. It's important." Emma gently said.

Olivia opened her mouth to speak and her mother simply said, "No! We're not taking no for an answer. I know what you're thinking. Who will watch Lincoln? I can't leave my newborn and go out to eat." She pointed a finger at her daughter and said, "Yes you can! The four of us have arranged our busy schedules to be free that afternoon or evening, whichever you'd prefer, so the two of you can get dressed up, get out of this house, and spend some time together. Now, what time do you want us here?"

Fitz leaned his head back to make sure his wife couldn't see his face. He mouthed the words 'thank you' to the four of them. When Olivia glanced his way, he covered it with a yawn and put his arm around her shoulder.

"Let me get this straight..." She began.

"Oh shit." Fitz muttered.

"The four of you come over here bringing your cute smiling faces and Christmas presents and demand that the two of us leave the house for our anniversary while the four of you watch our son? Is that the jist of it?" She demanded.

"Now, Munchkin."

"Don't Munchkin me, dad. Answer the question please."

"Well, yes." He replied hesitantly.

"Who the hell is paying for this expensive dinner? I've been out of work for three weeks and Fitz rarely goes in to the bakery since Lincoln has arrived. And what are we supposed to wear? I haven't gotten back down to my pre-baby weight and maternity clothes are too big. It's why I wear pajamas most of the time."

"Hell, if that's all your worried about, I'll give you my credit card and you can go buy whatever you want to wear. Anything to get the two of you out of the damned house..."

"Dad!" Fitz warned.

"...so we can have some peace and quiet with Lincoln." Thomas blustered. "I'll even pay for dinner. Are you happy now?"

Olivia stood up from the sofa with a grimace on her face, put her hands on her hips and stared at her father in law intently. He squirmed under her gaze and Fitz pointed at his father and dragged his index finger across his throat followed by silent mock laughter. In an authoritative voice Olivia simply said, "Fitz!" and he stopped all of it.

Her grimace turned to a full on smile at Thomas as she went to him and hugged his neck. "That was easier than I thought. I would have settled for you paying for dinner, but a getting a new outfit out of the deal is a sweet little bonus." She kissed his cheek while the others laughed loudly at his expense. Olivia went back to her husband's side and said, "I hate the thought of leaving Lincoln even for a minute, but I know that I'm going to have to go back to work soon so I might as well take these baby steps now. And Fitz and I need a night out together. We trust you all fully with Lincoln. We absolutely accept."

Fitz and Olivia hugged the four older parents and when Olivia got to Thomas he grinned at her and said, "You may have been on maternity leave for the past three weeks, but you're a hell of a negotiator and you have the best poker face I've ever seen." When she made her way back to Fitz, he put his arm around her and smiled proudly at her. Damn she was good.

**************************************  
When New Year's Eve came around Olivia was shocked to feel excited. She expected to feel nervous or apprehensive about leaving her baby while she went out with her husband. Neither of those things had entered her mind yet and she was exuberant about getting out of the house.

Her father in law had come through with his promise to buy her an outfit, and Olivia was surprised to learn that she was just two sizes away from her pre-baby self. Her self-confidence soared and she couldn't keep the smile off of her face. It was difficult to get reservations on a holiday for dinner, so they went with a late lunch. She and Fitz wanted to be at home with Lincoln well before midnight to ring in the new year with him anyways. That would be more difficult to accomplish with traffic and everyone and their mother being out to celebrate later on.

At two o'clock the four grandparents showed up and took over with Lincoln while Fitz and Olivia finished getting ready. While Olivia was in the bathroom applying her make-up and putting finishing touches to her hair, Fitz grabbed her anniversary gift and stuck it in his suit jacket pocket. He might be an old married guy now, but he still had it and could surprise his wife. He was very excited about being out of the house with her.

Thirty minutes later, Olivia walked into the living room while putting an earring into her left ear. Fitz was sitting on the couch talking to their fathers, but jumped up immediately at the sight of her. "Wow! You look..."

"Beautiful"

"Stunning"

"Gorgeous."

"Expensive" Olivia chuckled at her father in law's choice of descriptive word and went to Thomas first, giving him a big hug and whispering thank you to him. "You are so welcome, Olivia. It was worth every dime. You look amazing."

"Now I know where Fitz gets his charm from." She said smiling.

Fitz stood beside her and put his arm around his wife, and gave his father a look of annoyance. "He does have charm, but it doubled when it was passed down to me." He pressed a kiss to her temple.

"As was humility, I see." Olivia chuckled. She looked around the room that had been taken over by their parents and felt a wave of appreciation for having parents and in laws who were willing to come and stay with their son so she and Fitz could celebrate their anniversary together. "You know where we're going. The number is on the fridge. If you need anything please..."

"Don't hesitate to call. We know." Lila finished. "The four of us have got this. Go enjoy yourselves." When her daughter gave her a look, Lila added, "Don't worry about us. We are in grandparent heaven having Lincoln all to ourselves. We promise not to invite friends over. Or run with scissors. Or tip back in chairs."

Olivia rolled her eyes at her mother. "What's the most important rule?" The four adults looked at her with scrunched up questioning faces. "No parties!" She said chuckling.

"Well, damn. I was gonna have my poker buddies over for a game." Thomas said with a frown.

"You hush you old goat." Emma chided. "If she thinks you're serious she will never leave the house."

"The hell with that! I bought that dress she's wearing and it's going out on somebody!" He gave Olivia a wink, causing her to laugh.

"Lincoln's going to want a bottle in an hour. Please don't fight over my baby. Someone can change his diaper..."

"That's all you, Em." Thomas said.

"Someone can feed him."

"I call dibs on that one." Nathaniel chimed in.

"Somebody else can wash his bottles so they will be ready for tomorrow."

"Thomas will do that." Emma said with a smirk.

"And someone can put his jammies on him."

"That leaves me." Lila grinned broadly. "Now that the chores have been settled, get on out of here!"

Fitz offered his arm to his wife and asked, "Shall we?" She hooked her arm through his and the two of them walked out the door. Before they stepped off the porch Fitz grabbed his wife and pulled her into his arms, kissing her passionately and careful not to put his hands in her hair. When they came up for air he grinned at her and said, "Happy anniversary, beautiful. I love you."

"I love you too, handsome. Happy anniversary." She grabbed his tie and pulled him towards her for another kiss, which he happily complied with.

The two of them were locked in the kiss when shuffled feet made their way up the porch. It had been so long since they had been alone together though that neither one of them noticed and kept at what they were doing. "Should I go home?" A voice asked.

Fitz pulled away from his wife's face, rested his forehead on hers, and rolled his eyes. "Charles, your timing is never good. Isn't there an etiquette class you can take to correct that or something?"

Charles chuckled lightly. "Probably. I rather enjoy walking over here and wondering what I'll see the two of you doing when I get here. It's never boring, and the last few times you've both been fully clothed. I'd say my timing is getting better."

"What the hell do you want?" Fitz asked with a frustrated chuckle of his own as he turned to look his neighbor in the eye.

"I came by to wish you happy anniversary and to bring you this." He handed the couple with lipstick smeared on both their faces a box.

"What is it?" Fitz asked.

"It's nothing much. Just something the wife and I wanted to give the two of you." Charles explained.

"Thank you, Charles." Olivia said, taking the box and opening it. "Ohmygod! Fitz. Look!" She started laughing hysterically.

"Is it a piece of wood for us to start building a fence between our houses with?" Fitz joked. Olivia smacked his arm.

"No!" She pulled the gift out of the box and smiled at it while she felt the rush of embarrassment in her cheeks. "Oh, Charles. This is amazing. Completely embarrassing in every way, but still amazing!"

"What is it?" Fitz asked. Olivia held it up for him to see. It was a silver picture frame with a photo of Fitz and Olivia rushing into the house after their wedding. Fitz's dress shirt was literally hanging off of his shoulders. The left side of Olivia's dress was down, past her exposed breast, but luckily the picture had been taken after Fitz put his neck tie on her to cover it up. He chuckled at the memory and grinned at his wife.

"Angie had to get a little creative with the editing as not to expose things...that were exposed." He said sheepishly. "It looks like the two of you are going out to celebrate." When they nodded at him he said, "Good for you. It's important to have date nights after you've had a baby. It's a lot more difficult to schedule them, especially once you go back to work, but it's important to take time to be a couple instead of parents twenty-four seven. Have a good time."

Olivia went to him and hugged him tightly. "Thank you for the picture and the advice. We'll remember both for a very long time."

Fitz shook his hand and asked, "Has your grandson had his birthday party yet?"

Charles eyebrows went skyward. "You remembered that?"

"Of course. My mind isn't solely on trying to get my wife naked on the porch all the time."

Charles chuckled. "Good to know. And they are having it tomorrow instead of today so some out of town family can come. You two go and have a good time together. Happy anniversary."

"Thank you. Please tell Angie thank you for the photo too. We'll be on the look out for the two of you on your porch in a compromising position for a Valentine's gift." Fitz teased. When their neighbor had left them, Fitz held out his hand to his wife. "Let's go on a date night, gorgeous. Maybe we'll re-create that picture when we get back home?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her when she grinned at him.


	17. Point Taken

Point Taken

"And then the momma bear said, 'You know what we need?' And the daddy bear said, 'No, what do we need?' The momma bear said, 'A cute little baby bear.' Not long afterwards, the momma bear and the daddy bear got the cutest of all the baby bears in the whole wide world, and they named him Lincoln." Olivia leaned down into the crib and kissed her son's cheek, then finished snapping up his onesie. The one that had a bear on it.

"Babe?" Fitz called from their bedroom.

"In here." She called back.

Fitz walked into the nursery and saw Lincoln laying in his crib. "Link. My man. Whatcha got planned today?" Lincoln cooed at his father, and Fitz was convinced he knew exactly what his father was saying. Fitz picked his son up and asked his wife, "Are you sure you don't want me to go with you? It's no big deal to ask Charlotte to cover for me for a few hours."

"We'll be fine. Won't we Lincoln?" She rubbed the back of her son's head and smiled at her husband. "It's just his six week check-up. Besides, you need to go to work. It's been forever since you actually worked an entire shift at the bakery."

Fitz didn't like the idea of Olivia taking Lincoln to the doctor alone. He knew she was more than capable of handling it, but he liked to help and she was doing so much better at letting him lately. He guessed she wanted some alone time with Link and to see how she could handle being alone with him out in public. It was her first real test at it and even though she showed only determination, Fitz knew she was a little nervous as well. "Okay, but promise you'll call me when you're done? I want to know everything that was said. If he's on the right track with his height and weight. And of course I want to hear the exact words the pediatrician used for how advanced he is. Grant men are always ahead of the rest."

"Easy, Sir Brags A Lot. I'll do better than call you. I'll bring him to the bakery so everyone can see our perfect and advanced son."

"Really? That would be great! Everyone has been asking about him and they are dying to meet him." Fitz said excitedly. Holding Lincoln in one arm, he put his other one around his wife and said, "His six-week visit is today. Yours is Thursday. And then once you're clear, I'm gonna sex you up." He sang.

Olivia took Lincoln out of her husband's arms and chuckled at him, shaking her head. "You're so crazy. But after my visit, I might just go buy something sexy to wear for the occasion." She enjoyed watching him lick his lips and eye her up and down. "Maybe. If you're good?"

"If there's one thing you know about me, wife, it's that I'm always good!" Looking at his son, Fitz said, "Close your eyes." He kissed her deeply while his mind raced to having his wife naked once again. "Mmmmm." He broke the kiss and smacked her ass playfully and kissed his son's head. "I've got to go. Have a good check-up, Link." But before he left his two favorite people, Fitz played with a strand of his wife's hair and said, "By the way, you brag about him just as much as I do. Have a good day." He pecked her lips and went to go get into his car.

Olivia looked at Lincoln and said, "Your daddy is crazy."

She got Lincoln into his car seat and buckled him into the car without incident. He was asleep, so that helped. She had packed a diaper bag the night before and left it in the car to have one less thing to remember as she was heading out the door, and she congratulated herself on her well planned mommy skills. She took the bottles out of the car seat, nestled beside Lincoln, and slipped them into the diaper bag. "I got this!"

At the pediatrician's office, Olivia grabbed the diaper bag, her purse, and the handle to the car seat. Realizing she had too much stuff to carry in, she left her purse in the car, locked and closed the car door, and continued into the building. She gave the receptionist her son's name and was given a clip board with several sheets of paper to fill out. Tucking the clip board under her arm, Olivia went to find a chair and begin the task of writing her son's short life story on the papers.

She was halfway through when a nurse called out, "Lincoln Grant?" Olivia got up, gathered all of her stuff together, as well as her son, and made her way to the door the nurse was standing by. "Good morning." She chirped pleasantly. Olivia mumbled out a good morning while trying not to drop anything she was holding onto. "Here, let me help you with all of that" the nurse offered and took the diaper bag off of her shoulder, as well as the clip board.

The two of them walked down a brightly painted hallway and entered a small room with information posters hanging on all of the walls. The new mom set the car seat on the examining table and the nurse handed her the diaper bag and clip board. She took a breath, smiled at the nurse, and finally said, "Thank you so much. I didn't realize it takes so much stuff to take a baby out of the house."

The nurse smiled at her. "First time out with him?" When Olivia nodded, the nurse said, "You're doing great, and it'll get easier." Looking at the papers in her hand, the nurse asked, "So Lincoln is here for his post natal check-up?"

"He is." Olivia said as she smiled and looked at her son.

"If you'll go ahead and take his cute little outfit off, leaving him only in his diaper, I'll go ahead and weigh and measure him." The nurse went to the sink and washed and dried her hands.

Lincoln began to stir and then whimper when Olivia started taking his clothes off. "He hates to be naked." Olivia explained. The whimpering soon turned into full on wailing.

"That's understandable." The nurse wrapped a blanket around the baby, scooped him up, and politely told Olivia to follow her. Lincoln was put on the scale and the nurse wrote down his weight. "He weighs nine pounds twelve ounces and is right on track weight wise. We'll take him back in the room and get his measurement." She picked Lincoln up who was now screaming his head off. "Come on, Mr. Lincoln."

Once they were back in the room, the nurse gave Olivia the blanket and laid him on the examining table. Olivia cooed at him while the nurse made a mark on the crinkly white paper where the top of his head was. She gently stretched his leg so that it was straight and made another mark where Lincoln's heel was. Then she measured it. "He measures at twenty-two and a half inches." She made a mark on the growth chart and said, "Lincoln is in the sixtieth percentile height-wise. He could very well be a tall boy. Is his father tall?"

Olivia wrapped the blanket around her son and picked him up shushing and bouncing him. "Yes. His dad is six foot two."

"That must be where he gets it from. Everything looks great from all outward appearances. The doctor will be in shortly to check everything else out." Olivia thanked her and the nurse walked out the door.

Lincoln had finally stopped crying and had fallen asleep in her arms when there was a knock on the door and the pediatrician walked in with a smile. He was a young man with brown hair and eyes. He looked like he had barely graduated high school. "Hello. I'm Doctor Barkwell. I'd shake your hand, but I believe he might get mad."

Olivia smiled at him and said, "I just got him to sleep. He really hates being naked."

"Let's hope he keeps that attitude until he's married." The doctor chuckled. Olivia immediately felt more at ease with him. "I hate to wake him up but this should be relatively quick. If you'll lay him on the examining table I'll try to make this tearless for both of you."

Dr. Barkwell checked him over from head to toe. He took notes and Lincoln never cried once. Even when he took off Lincoln's diaper. Olivia was impressed. He asked for a clean diaper and Olivia handed him one. Once it was on him, Dr. Barkwell handed him to his mother and said, "He's a healthy boy inside and out. Whatever you are doing, keep doing it. You can get him dressed if you like. Now. Do you have any questions for me?"

Olivia had a few dozen in her mind when she left home. Now she couldn't think of one of them. She hated that. "Mommy brain is terrible. I had a couple but I didn't write them down. I'll try to remember to do that before next time." She snapped the onesie, pulled up his pants, and held Lincoln in her arms.

Dr. Barkwell smiled kindly at her. "That's okay. It's a lot, taking care of a newborn on top of everything else. Give yourself a break. You're doing a great job with him. He's a happy healthy six week old. But if you do think of those questions, write them down and bring them back when he comes back for his immunizations. Okay?"

"I can do that. Thank you so much, Dr. Barkwell." He waved to Lincoln and walked out the door. Olivia put Lincoln in his car seat, grabbed the diaper bag, and made her way to the exit. She breathed a little easier, hearing a professional tell her that Lincoln was growing perfectly and was completely healthy. The receptionist gave her the paperwork she needed and she and her son went to the car.

So many people were at the bakery waiting for Lincoln to arrive. When Olivia walked in she was greeted with dozens of smiles. She walked up to the counter and Fitz came out from the back and gave her a huge smile and kiss. "There's my girl!" He started taking Lincoln out of his car seat while peppering Olivia with questions about the visit.

"Everything is perfect. He's healthy inside and out, they told me. Oh! The nurse said he might be on the tall side!" She informed him.

"Well, Grant men are tall. Link's no exception. Are you son?" Once he got him out of the car seat, Fitz kissed his cheek and held him up for everyone to see. Loud cheers and awwwww's could be heard throughout the room. Charlotte came up front to see what the noise was about. She saw Lincoln in her boss's arms and smiled. "Lincoln, this is Charlotte. She'll probably be the one who will end up sneaking you cupcakes. Be nice to her."

Charlotte was anxious to get her hands on the newborn. "Can I please hold him, Olivia?"

"Of course you can! Anyone who sneaks cupcakes to me and my baby can definitely hold him." Olivia said grinning.

Fitz put his arms around his wife and said, "You have to pay for cupcakes. No freebies for you."

Looking around and noticing the crowd had basically dispersed, Olivia replied sassily, "No freebies for you either. And I have the best cupcakes in the tri state area."

"Mmmmm. Don't I know it. When might I get to see your cupcakes again?" Fitz flirted.

Olivia turned in his arms and hugged him tightly. "It could be sooner than you think." She whispered in his ear.

"Are the two of you done playing grab ass in the bakery?" Charlotte asked.

Fitz pecked his wife's lips, still holding her and matter of factly said, "She sounds a lot like Charles right now, doesn't she?"

Olivia laughed loudly and covered her mouth with her hand. "Ohmygod, she really does! I wonder if they are related?

Charlotte gave them a look of mock horror. "You've subjected other people to your blatant displays of affection?" Looking down at Lincoln, Charlotte said, "Lincoln, you need to know right now that your parents are crazy people. Genuinely good, but absolutely crazy!"

"Thanks, Charlotte. But he'll learn that soon enough on his own. Give me back my son now and go do something that resembles work." Fitz kidded.

"This boy is gonna be a lady killer. You're gonna have your hands full keeping the girls away, Olivia. He is absolutely adorable too and I'm afraid he will have an ego that rivals his fathers. By the way, I am available for babysitting any time you two want a night out."

"There are four grandparents who might fight you for that privilege." Olivia chuckled. "But I'm definitely going to keep it in mind!" Lincoln started to cry and Fitz took Lincoln from Charlotte. Olivia told Fitz, "It's time for him to eat." Fitz took Lincoln to his office to feed his son while Olivia accepted the cupcake Charlotte gave her and chatted with the customers who congratulated her.

Two days later, Olivia was sitting in an examining room of her own. Her mother had come over to take care of Lincoln so she could go to her own postpartum check-up. Olivia was completely naked except for the flimsy uncomfortable paper gown that opened at the front. Another folded paper drape laid on her lap to cover the lower half. The medical people really needed to pour money into making the gowns a little...more Olivia thought. She had been weighed and measured by the nurse and was now waiting for her doctor to come in. She fidgeted until a knock on the door was heard and in walked her OBGYN.

The same pleasantries were exchanged as two days ago when Lincoln had gone for his appointment. Lincoln at least got to keep his diaper on most of the time, Olivia thought with an eyeroll. She laid back on the examining table and, like Lincoln, was checked from head to toe and everywhere in between. She answered all of her doctor's questions about how she was doing and feeling since she had given birth. Olivia answered them all and had remembered to ask a few of her own. Like when she should return to work? And when it was okay to have sex? She was given a clean bill of health and was told she could return to work as soon as her maternity leave was up, and that she was cleared for sex whenever she was ready, but not to push it if she wasn't. Olivia got dressed quickly and left. She hated the gynecologist.

Momma had a plan. A sexy plan.

A few hours later, and three phone calls to check on Lincoln, Olivia walked in the front door with a smile on her face and a pep in her step. She put her keys in the bowl and a bag on the table, and continued into the living room without breaking her stride. Lincoln was passed out in Lila's very content arms. "How did he do?"

"You should know. You called me every half hour." Lila stated. "How did everything go at the doctor's visit?"

"Everything is fine. I can go back to work in a week and a half. Two and a half if I take a week's vacation when my maternity leave is up." She didn't want to think about going back to work today.

"You know we already have a plan. I'll come over here and watch him Monday through Wednesday, and Emma will come over on Thursday and Fridays. There's nothing to worry about, baby. We want to take care of him instead of him going into daycare. There's nothing wrong with that option for mothers who don't have family close by who are willing and able to help out. You need to let us!"

"Momma, I don't want you and Emma to feel like babysitters. You are grandmothers and it's important to me that those two things don't get blurred. I would hate to think that the two of you felt like you had to watch Lincoln. It's going to be a lot. What if it gets to be too much when he's older?"

"You think we won't spoil him while we are here with him? Girl, you don't give us enough credit as grandmothers if you think that. If his first word isn't grandma then we aren't doing a good enough job. And don't you worry about us wishing we could be grandmothers instead of lending a helping hand. We can do both and we are happy to help. Nothing is getting blurred. Besides, we've both already bought a car seat for our own cars."

Olivia still wasn't convinced.

"Please let us do this. This is my first grandbaby and I want to be around him as much as I can, and I really don't like to idea of him going into a daycare. Not yet, Liv. And if it gets to be too much I will say something."

"Do you promise?" Olivia asked.

"I promise." Lila said, crossing her fingers under Lincoln's back. There was no way that she and Emma weren't keeping their grandson when Liv went back to work. No way in hell.

Olivia eyed her mother, still feeling some niggling doubts, but assumed they would always be there now that she was a mother. "Fine. But if I call you ten times a day, I don't want to hear a single complaint."

"Yea, yea." Lila said, giving Lincoln a triumphant grin.

"Thank you for watching him today. I think I'm going to go lay him down so he doesn't think he can only sleep if someone is holding him." She shot her mother a look and Lila stuck her tongue out at her daughter's back. She got up off the couch and went into the kitchen to get her purse from the table. She noticed the bag with the lingerie store logo on the side. What the hell was this now? She peeked in and quickly closed the bag. Lawd have mercy. Her daughter was gonna give her husband a heart attack later.

Olivia joined her in the kitchen and started making some coffee. While it brewed she hugged her mother goodbye and walked her to the door. Before Lila walked out she pointed at the bag on the table and said, "I have the same outfit. In blue." She cackled as she turned and walked to her car while Olivia's mouth hung open in shock. She was thankful that she had bought a second item at a different store. The first one would be taken back for a refund tomorrow!

When Fitz came home much later, the house was quiet. A little too quiet. He wondered where his wife and son were? He quickly made his way back to toward their bedroom, stopping at the nursery door and peeking in. He stopped short when he saw Lincoln asleep in his crib. He quietly went to check on him. Huh. He was actually going to sleep in it. He checked to make sure the monitor was on, pulled the blanket up a little more over Lincoln, and went to his bedroom to look for his wife.

He didn't have to look very far. His mouth immediately went dry at the incredibly delectable sight in front of him. Olivia was kneeling on their bed wearing some frilly, sexy, sheer, red and black, fuck me outfit. He was hard as iron and neither one of them had said so much as hi to each other yet. His evening just got a lot more interesting.

Olivia never took her intense brown eyes off his aroused blue ones. She pointed at the bathroom and simply commanded. "Shower. Hurry."

Figuring that no words were needed, Fitz nodded mutely after slowly eyeing her up and down once more and proceeded to take the fastest shower known to mankind. But while he was in there all kinds of thoughts ran through his head. Like, why was his wife half dressed and apparently ready for the fabulous full Fitz treatment when she was completely turned off of the idea not long ago? The hot water sprayed on his lathered hair, rinsing away the shampoo as he pondered the change in her.

Holding the soap Fitz lathered his arms and tried to remember what was so special about today? It wasn't a weird anniversary was it? Something marked by months and not years? As he lathered up his broad hair covered chest and recalled the calendar, he was confident that that wasn't it. Reaching down with the soap in his hands, Fitz made sure every man part that his wife was apparently craving was clean. He would enjoy letting her dirty him up again any way she wanted. He growled low in his throat as his mind raced with the ways he wanted to dirty her up too.

He turned off the water, stepped out of the shower, grabbed the towel, and proceeded to dry off his lean body as his mind still tried to figure out what had changed his wife's mind about sex. Glancing down at his mostly dry body he smirked to himself. She has missed all this, his mind confidently told him. And then he remembered. Today was Thursday. The day she went for her post partum check-up. His head snapped up at his distorted reflection in the steamy mirror. He reached a hand up and wiped a hand across it. A huge grin split his face. His wife had been cleared for sex from the sadists who had put them on a six week after baby hiatus.

And it looked like Olivia was ready to get back in the saddle! He brushed his teeth and thought, if she wants a ride, I'll be more than willing to give her a great one. He finished his teeth and ran his fingers through his wet curls with the ridiculous grin still on his face. Feeling more confident than he probably should, Fitz threw the towel into the clothes hamper and opened the door. He reached both hands up to hold onto the top of the door frame. Olivia was still on their bed. God, she was sexy as hell. He watched as her eyes roamed his nude body from head to toe and then back up again. And then back down once more. That made his confidence grow to epic proportions.

"See something you like?" He asked his wife.

Olivia had been ready for him the minute he walked into their bedroom from work. He had messed up curls, flour all over his clothes from the bakery, and a look of exhaustion on his face. And even after he had put in a full day at work he had looked so tempting to her.

Now though, he looked absolutely intoxicating. Olivia could clearly see the look of confidence in his eyes. He knew what she wanted and he was beyond ready to give it to her. His curls were still damp and her fingers itched to touch them. To grab handfuls of them and lead his face where she wanted it to go. His face was so handsome and she took a moment to appreciate that he was in a hurry enough that he didn't shave. The slight stubble she saw brought back delicious memories of having him when she had been pregnant with Lincoln. His chest was inviting, and she immediately knew she was going to be sleeping on it tonight. It had been too long since she had been in her happy place. She'd been too exhausted to care about where she slept lately. She was sleeping there tonight though. She smiled at him and hoped he had enjoyed being able to sleep without her on his chest the last several months.

Her eyes followed his fuzzy happy trail down past his belly button to another happy place. She licked her lips and it didn't go unnoticed by her husband. Her gaze lingered there for a moment and then went back up to look into his blue eyes. His grin was wider somehow. As if he was able to read the dirty thoughts in her mind. She shrugged her shoulders and replied, "There might be something?"

"Wanna tell me about it?" He teased.

"I'd rather show you. Come here." She said seductively. Olivia watched him strut to the bed, knowing he felt awfully proud of himself and the way he made her feel. Even though he hadn't even touched her yet.

Fitz joined her on the bed and opened his arms, which she willingly and happily went into. He heard her sigh and at that moment, nothing was a better sound to his ears. "There's no rush, babe. I don't want you to feel like there is. Whether it's another week or month makes no difference to me. I want you to feel completely comfortable with yourself. There's no pressure here from me. Okay?"

No one could tell her that she hadn't gotten the last perfect man on earth. Fitz knew her just as well as she knew herself. He put her needs before his own and Olivia treasured that about him more every time he did it. He would let her lead this time, knowing that she might not feel quite as confident as she made herself appear. Knowing that about him made her somehow more turned on. She had missed naked Fitz time something fierce!

She licked the shell of his ear and asked, "Are you saying that you're not up for this?"

Fitz grabbed her wrist and brought his wife's hand down between their bodies. He slowly rubbed her palm along the length of his very impressive hard length until he felt her wrap his hand around it. "Does it feel like I'm up for it?"

Olivia smiled from the crook of his neck. Her husband definitely had a way with words. He knew just how to perfectly throw hers right back at her and make it sexy at the same time. "Point taken."

"You haven't taken my point yet. But you're going to." He replied light heartedly.

This man and his threats were going to be the death of her. But what a way to go. Olivia's small hand kept stroking him slowly and she enjoyed hearing him breathe a little harder because of it. She kissed, nibbled, and sucked the clean smelling skin on his neck, feeling more confident and bold as she went.

Fitz put his finger under her chin and brought her face back to his own and grabbed her hand to release it from sending him over the edge too fast. "This isn't about me. This is about you. I have a pretty good idea about the things that you are feeling or thinking. You don't have to make sure that I'm going to enjoy myself. Trust me, I'm going to."

"But..."

"No buts, Liv. You are the one who spent almost nine months pregnant. You are the one who gave birth in the bravest, kick ass, most amazing way. And you are the one who has figured out the mommy thing all by yourself. You are such a great mom to Lincoln. You don't need to add me to a list of things to do or people to make happy." He gave her a small smile and hoped she understood what he was trying to say.

She returned the smile and asked, "So you're saying I don't need to buy lingerie for you?"

"Hello no! I didn't say that at all. You look beautiful, by the way. I love this..." His large fingers swatted the sheer material that flowed at her hips. "…thing. I'm just saying that this moment right here isn't about you taking care of me. It's about me taking care of you and making sure that you feel beautiful and desired and comfortable after everything you've been through. Can you let me do that?"

Not gonna cry. Not gonna cry. Not gonna cry. Olivia chanted in her head. Only Fitz could make her feel like the most powerful desirable woman on earth one minute and then a rare piece of fine china the next. She really did want to make sure he knew how much she had missed him the last few months. Apparently, he had the same intention for her on this first coming back together. Damn him and his understanding ways. A tear escaped and ran down her cheek as she looked up into his beautiful blue eyes and nodded. He wiped it with his thumb.

"I love you so much." With his finger still under her chin, Fitz brought her face closer to his and kissed her lips tenderly. His hand moved to her cheek when Olivia opened her mouth to let his tongue in to dance with hers. Fitz took his time to savor her mouth and to simply enjoy kissing her. He refused to rush this basic part of their time together and instead concentrated on pouring everything he had into the kiss.

Olivia had brought her hand up to his cheek as well. She had given up trying to control this reunion but was thoroughly enjoying the way her husband was starting it out. She wondered how he made a kiss feel like such a sensual experience? She would occasionally peek up at him from under her lashes, but his eyes were closed every time she did so. The look of determination was there regardless.

Fitz easily picked her up in his arms and laid her down on the pillows at the head of the bed and hovered over her. "Before I begin, do you have any pointers for me?" He grinned to let her know he was kidding.

"No pointers. I trust your judgement." No sooner were the words out of her mouth when Olivia felt his fingers slide her panties to the side and one of them sunk inside of her. It caught her by surprise and her eyes went wide and her breath was sucked from her lungs.

"Famous last words, babe." Fitz said as he watched her face intently. He was going to enjoy the show she always gave him with her facial expressions. He dipped his head to her neck and smiled when she moved her head in the other direction, giving him more access to it. He ran his tongue up the column of her neck to her ear. His hand never stopped moving. Olivia was already on the brink of exploding. He couldn't help himself. He got close to her ear and whispered, "I think my little nympho has missed me."

Olivia moaned and wiggled against his hand in response.

"All of this fuss over one little finger? What are you going to do when you get what you really want?"

"Give it to me...and find out." She panted heavily.

"Not yet." He teased. "That's too easy. Besides, you already claimed to have no pointers. You just lay there and let me have my way with you." When she began to protest, Fitz leaned down and eagerly kissed her mouth to shut her up.

He picked his head up and watched her come apart. It was a beautiful thing to watch every single time. And made him want more of her. He glanced down the front of her body and noticed for the first time a little bow of black ribbon between her breasts. It appeared to be the only thing keeping them from spilling out. "This looks constricting." He commented mildly, and brought his thumb and index fingers up and pinched the ribbon between them.

Fitz slowly pulled the ribbon away from his wife's body until the bow was untied. He released it and watched it fall to her skin. The same two itchy fingers gently grasped the edge of one side of the material and pulled it open, exposing some of his favorite flesh. His throat let out an involuntary groan and he repeated the action with the other side. He licked his lips in anticipation and Olivia knew he would surely speed things up now.

Instead, he met her intense gaze and said, "You are so beautiful. Never doubt that."

He dipped his head slowly and planted feather soft kisses on her flawless brown skin. Olivia's hands found their way into the hair on the back of his neck and tried in vain to park his head over her breast. He nipped the skin underneath in response and she sighed loudly and gave up trying to control him. Deciding to stop torturing her for a moment, Fitz ran his tongue over one of her nipples and then took it into his mouth, sucking gently. The moment he made contact, her grip on his curls became fierce.

Alternating between sucking and biting, Fitz's mouth became more eager with his wife's chest. He tried to calm his actions down but it was no use. He had missed having her like this so much. All to himself for one. Breathing heavily and eager for so much more for another. It was a heady combination for his already too big male ego. Still he reveled in it.

Olivia was breathing hard and grinding her lower half against his leg in some effort to alleviate the building pressure she was feeling. She had no complaints about this pace whatsoever. She just wanted more. God, he felt so good on top of her. And she had forgotten how much she loved his mouth on her skin, making her back arch off their bed, making her moan his name, making her forget everything but the moment they were in together. "I have missed you." She admitted.

"Mmmm. I have missed you too, babe." He kissed her passionately and broke the kiss just as quickly. "I need you to roll over." When she gave him a questioning look, he smiled and said "Remember when you were pregnant and were whining about all the body parts that you thought were too big? It's time to take a look at them again and take note of the changes." The smile was now a smirk.

Olivia happily rolled over and waited for his inspection.

"These things are in the way. They've got to go." Fitz hooked his index fingers on the sides of her hips and slid the black lace panties down her legs, throwing them on the floor. "Why, Liv?" He asked with fake annoyance.

Worry set in and she got up on her elbows and demanded, "Why what?"

"Why did you let your ass shrink back to the size it was before you got pregnant?"

In that moment, Olivia's confidence was much bigger than that of her husbands. She knew he wasn't mad, but those were the words that brought the biggest smile to her face. He was her best encourager, and she loved that about him. "Sorry." She muttered out.

Fitz loved her ass. And he wasn't lying or trying to make her feel good about herself. She really had her pre-pregnancy ass back. Truth be told, he was going to miss pregnancy ass more than a little bit. But he would never tell her that. He rubbed his hands over the smaller version and leaned down to plant a kiss of congratulations on it, followed by a little squeeze.

He turned her a little bit so she was on her side, and kissed her hip too. "Little hips are back too I see." He grumbled. The smile on his wife's face was worth letting her know he noticed these things about her. His wife was amazing. He was silently thankful that she wouldn't have to buy more clothes until her old ones fit her again. She had more or less accomplished her goal in six short weeks.

He rolled her once more and she was laying on her back once again and her core was just below his face. He refused to mention that the last time he had seen this particular body part there had been a tiny head poking out from it. Nope. She would get up and go check on Lincoln and the mood would be gone. Instead he put his hands on her thighs, opened her legs, and settled himself between them.

He took his time here too. At first he avoided the spot her eager hands kept trying to hold his head over. He kissed her skin everywhere but there, causing her to huff in frustration. It was highly entertaining for Fitz but then he grew weary of that game and gave her what she wanted. He still took his time getting her there, but when that highly satisfied scream ripped from her lungs, he knew she was feeling much better and the frustration was long gone.

Crawling up her body and leaving small kisses as he went, Fitz came face to face with his wife once again. He felt her legs tighten around his waist and he knew she was beyond ready for the main event. But before he started that he had to let her know something. "I have been over every inch of your skin. Again. Your body looks just like it did the day we met. I'm sure there's some three pounds somewhere that you are silently wishing would disappear," he rolled his eyes dramatically. "But I want you to know that I am very proud of you for such a big accomplishment in such a little amount of time. I think you are incredible."

Olivia smiled at her husband and pushed his hair from his forehead. "You don't have to say that to get laid. Believe me, it's happening right now. I literally can't wait another minute for..." She gasped when she felt him slide into her warm heat.

"I love the element of surprise. Are you okay?" He asked.

"So much better than okay." She gripped his shoulders and brought him down to completely cover her body with his. She kissed him feverishly and felt him pull out of her and then push back in. It was the most glorious thing to remember. "I love you. And I have missed this so much."

"I hated that damned hiatus and I'm so glad it's over!" He grunted. "Ahhh, you feel so good under me." He kept the pace a lazy one in order to draw it out as long as possible. "I love you so much, Liv."

Heavy breathing, delirious moans, and countless 'I love you's' were the only sounds that filled the room for a while. Olivia could feel the intense explosion building back up and as much as she wanted that imaginary jump off the edge of the world, she wanted the moment to last forever too. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to think about anything else, but it kept building.

Fitz opened his eyes and watched the internal struggle on his wife's face. He leaned down into her neck and said, "Stop trying to control every damned thing and let go." When she still wouldn't surrender, he reached a hand down between them and began rubbing lazy circles on her most sensitive spot. Her bows knit together and moments later she let out a scream that he mostly stifled with a kiss. He followed behind her a few moments later, and rolled off her body gasping for air.

Something Olivia found humorous. "Man, you are out of practice." She chuckled.

"It was that damned six weeks off." He panted. "We're going to need more time alone together."

Crying could be heard from the nursery. They both turned their heads to look at the baby monitor. "Your son is acting like you again." Olivia laughed.

"That's my boy." He stood up and pulled a pair of pajama bottoms and a t-shirt out of his dresser and on his body. "You take a nap and I'll get Link. You'll need your strength for round two later." Fitz winked at his wife and went to get his son. Life was good.


	18. Don't Mess With Momma

Don't Mess With Momma

She had been a mess all weekend. Every time she looked at Lincoln she would start crying all over again. Which meant she had been crying practically all day long. She held him tighter and told him she loved him a million times more than any typical day but it still didn't seem like enough. She made a dozen bottles and made sure back ups were cleaned and stored in case they needed to be used. She made a detailed list of his schedule and put it, along with as many phone numbers she could think of, on the kitchen table in case they were needed.

She had sent Fitz to the grocery store so there was something to snack on as well as something to make for dinner the following evening. She cleaned the house from top to bottom while her son slept so that it would be presentable on Monday morning.

Monday morning.

Olivia sank down onto the sofa heavily, curled into a ball, and began to cry again. Damn Monday morning! Damn responsibilities. Damn all of it!

Fitz found her on the sofa asleep when he returned from the grocery store. He put the bags on the table and went to sit on the floor in front of where she was laying on the couch. He looked at the baby monitor and saw that Lincoln was still asleep in his crib. Olivia had puffy eyes and he guessed she had been crying again. He felt so bad for his wife. Her maternity leave was up and she was going back to work the next morning. He knew she was dreading it, dreading leaving Lincoln while she went back to work. He hoped she fell into the everyday routine of it quickly and was kept busy at work to keep her mind occupied. Poor Liv. He pushed her hair behind her ear, kissed her cheek, and pulled the throw over her little body.

He went back into the kitchen and began the task of putting everything away. He was thankful that Olivia's mother and his mother were going to come to their house and split the week to take care of Lincoln. It made the thought of leaving him a little easier knowing that Lincoln's grandmothers were willing to do that for them. Still, he planned on taking his lunch breaks at home for the first few days just so he could see Lincoln during the day. But he wasn't going to tell Olivia about it.

Fitz knew her heart was probably breaking at the thought of leaving Lincoln all day. Besides a few random outings, she had been with him all day every day since he had been born. He wished he could do something to help her feel more at ease about it. Or less sad. But nothing came to mind. He started cooking dinner to get his mind off of the entire situation. He was turning pork chops in a frying pan when two arms came around him from behind. He smiled to himself and reached his right hand down and put it on top of hers.

"Good nap?"

"Is tomorrow still Monday?"

"Yup."

"Then no." Olivia laid her cheek against his back and held him a little tighter.

"You're ready, babe. You are going to rock at being a working mother. And you already know how the mornings will be, thanks to the intelligent creative mommy blogs you've read."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"You had our mothers come over every day last week to watch Lincoln so you could work out the kinks in your schedule and his. Whoever blogged that one was brilliant. I'll admit the first day was a little rocky and the fact that your mom didn't quit or change her phone number right then and there is encouraging."

"Why would she have done either of those things?" Olivia had no idea what her husband was talking about.

Fitz turned around in her arms and gave her a look. "Uhhh, the fact that you left to go get your hair done and called her six times in two hours? That's a bit much, Liv."

"I have already had this conversation with her. We agreed that I would call as often as I want and she wouldn't say anything about it."

"She didn't say anything about it. To you. But me? I got an earful of 'why doesn't my baby trust me?'" Fitz mimicked his mother in law's voice. "You've got to let her breathe, Liv."

"My baby is going to be separated from me every day for the rest of his life. Except weekends and holidays. If I want to call and check on him fifteen times a day, I'm going to. Anyone who doesn't like it can get over it real quick! Besides, I had to get my hair done for going back to work. And the other days went better."

"Easy, stress box. I agree with you. To a point. He's our son and we can check on him whenever we want to. I'm just saying that both of our mothers raised kids who turned out mostly fine and stress free." Olivia smacked him playfully. "Give her a little more space."

"I'll try. You have to admit having a practice week was a really good idea." Her hands came up to his neck. "Having our mothers come over last week on their chosen scheduled days like they normally would so I could get a feel for how the mornings would run was smart. Plus, I got a lot accomplished. I got my hair and nails done for work, I sat in a café to catch up on work related emails. I even took Abby to lunch when I ran out of things to do later in the week. Admit it. You married a genius."

"I'll admit that on Wednesday you had a great idea when you text me to say you were naked in a hotel near the bakery!" He pecked her lips through the smile on his face. "That was a great practice day! A lot of things were practiced that day too."

Olivia laughed. "MmmmHmmm. A very very good week. And that thing you did with your tongue? That was the highlight of my week." She started grinding her center on him.

Fitz grabbed a handful of her hair, gently pulled her head back, and said, "Don't start something you can't possibly finish, Mrs. Grant."

She smiled seductively at him. "Oh, I plan on finishing it. Come here." She pulled his head down for a heart stopping kiss.

The smoke detector went off loudly, scaring both of them. Fitz pulled away and quickly turned around. "Shit! The pork chops!" He turned off the stove and moved the frying pan to an eye that wasn't on as Olivia laughed at him. Lincoln started crying from his room and Fitz grabbed the broom to go wave in front of the smoke detector. "See what you did? Go get our son, nympho."

"We're not done with this." She warned. "Where there's smoke there's fire." She blew him a kiss and headed for the nursery.

The next morning, Lila showed up at seven and watched Olivia and Fitz scurry around the house like lost squirrels. Watching her daughter walk in and out of the living room three times in under a minute and a half was highly entertaining. But it also seemed that she had forgotten how well things had run last week when she got up, got ready, and left the house in a timely fashion. Lila was looking forward to the two of them leaving so her and her grandbaby could have some quality time together.

Olivia had just come from the nursery and had kissed her still sleeping son goodbye. She had been proud of herself. No tears. Feeling ready to tackle this day, she once again reminded her mother of the list on the table and told her to call if she needed anything at all. She headed toward the door and said, "Bye, momma."

She was halfway out the door when Lila called out to her. "Liv? You uhhh, planning on wearing shoes today to work?"

The new mother looked down at her bare feet in surprise and then back at her mother. And then burst into tears. "What the hell am I doing? I can't go back to work! I can't even remember to put on my shoes before I leave the house!" She sunk to the floor and covered her face with her hands.

Lila sighed quietly and went to her daughter. This girl had to go! "Baby? You forgot to put on shoes because you were running around this house trying to make sure everything is perfect before you leave. That is so unnecessary. Are you doing it for your son? Lincoln is two months old. He doesn't know what clean is, unless it pertains to his hiney. Are you doing it for me? That's just nonsense. I don't come over here to nitpick your housekeeping skills. I could care less! Now. Get yourself up off the floor. Go find your shoes and put them on your feet and go to work before I kick your ass."

"Momma, I just don't..."

"I said now!" Lila pointed to the bedroom.

Olivia quietly got up and went to get her shoes and came back into the living room. She stood in front of her mother and after a moment, hugged her neck. "Thank you. I needed that."

"I know you did. Now get out there and conquer the damned world with your brilliance. I love you to the moon and back."

"I love you too, momma. Give my angel a kiss for me when he wakes up." Olivia said, pulling away from her mom and heading to the door.

"I can't. He's giving me all his kisses today." Lila chuckled as Olivia rolled her eyes and walked out the door. Now then. I wonder what they have to eat in this house? She wondered to herself.

****************************  
"I brought you coffee. Not just any coffee, but Starbucks coffee because it's a welcome back you lazy bitch day!" Abby chirped. The redhead flung her arms around her best friend. "I have missed you around here. But before we get to all the office gossip, show me the newest pictures of the baby you had for me."

Olivia chuckled at her friend. "Lincoln is my baby. Go make your own!" She took a sip of the decadent coffee and sighed in orgasmic bliss. "This is the good stuff! Thank you for thinking of this 'lazy bitch'" she said using air quotes.

"Not gonna happen." Abby said sneering. "Show me the snickerdoodle already!"

"Do not let Fitz hear you calling Lincoln snickerdoodle. He hates it!" Olivia brought out her phone and let Abby scroll through her pictures. "I took the last five this morning before I left for work. Isn't he cute?"

"Completely adorable! He even sleeps cute! I need to come over and babysit sometime soon. I feel like I haven't seen him in weeks." Aby scrolled a little farther back in the camera roll and shrieked, "Holy hell! What is THAT?"

"What? What are you looking at?" Olivia grabbed the phone from her friend's hand and looked at whatever it was that had freaked her out. "Oh shit. You weren't supposed to see that." She mumbled. What it was, was Fitz standing in the kitchen wearing nothing but an apron. She had taken the photo from their last cooking lesson together. She scanned the picture carefully and breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed all of his personal parts were behind the apron.

"Wanna tell me what was going on there?" She asked with a knowing smile.

"Not really. What's the gossip around here? Olivia asked, trying to change the subject.

"Not so fast, perv. Why is there a picture of your husband wearing nothing but an apron and a smile on your phone? What kind of kinky shit do the two of you get into in the privacy of your own home?"

"A friend would say none of your business. A best friend would tell you that it's how he gives me cooking lessons." Olivia grinned.

"You're kidding me right now? He's handsome, doing well business-wise, is a fantastic father, AND he gives you cooking lessons in the nude? You really do have it all. You bitch." Abby laughed.

"So what's been going on around here while I was gone?" Olivia asked.

The door opened and Yvonne walked in with a huge smile. She made a point to fling her hair several times with her left hand with a flourish.

"What's up with her?" Olivia asked Abby quietly.

Abby shrugged and whispered, "Head lice?"

Yvonne gave them an annoyed look and tried something else. She held her coffee cup towards them with her left hand, grinned real big, and kept averting her eyes to her hand.

Abby and Olivia glanced at each other silently in confusion.

Praying for patience, Yvonne set her mug down, wiped her brow with her left hand, letting it linger on her forehead a moment, showing it off, and said, "It sure is hot in here."

"Nooooo. It's comfortable in here. What the hell is wrong with you, Yvonne?" Olivia asked.

Yvonne thrust her left hand in their faces. "I got engaged last night you clueless bitches!"

"Ohmygod! I'm so happy for you!"

"That's amazing! Congratulations!"

"That was the hardest I've worked around here in weeks." Yvonne said rolling her eyes and falling into a nearby chair.

"Stop being dramatic and tell us how Jason proposed!" Abby insisted.

"If you insist." She chuckled. Yvonne shared with the two women how Jason had cooked her dinner and made cupcakes for dessert. How her ring was in her cupcake and she had almost swallowed it.

"Did he cook naked?" Abby asked with a smirk.

"Shut up, Abby." Olivia warned.

"No. Why would he do...Ohmygod! Fitz cooks for you naked? Let's hear about THAT instead."

"We are not going to hear about that at all! You almost swallowed your engagement ring but you think you can handle hearing a story about how Fitz cooks naked? Have the two of you set a date?" Olivia asked, steering the conversation back to its proper lane.

"I forgot how much of a buzzkill you are." Yvonne said pouting. "No date yet. We're just enjoying the engaged life right now."

"How about you go enjoy the working life now?" Olivia asked cheerfully.

"Man, it was a lot less bossy around here the past couple of months. I can take a hint." She stood up and used her left hand to fling her hair once more before sashaying out the door.

"Poor Jason." Abby chuckled. "He'd better marry her fast before she annoys the hell out of all of us." She stood up to leave as well. "I gotta get going too. It's good to have you back, Liv. Let's do lunch together."

"Oooooh. Can't. I'm going home to see my cute baby. Don't tell Fitz if you talk to him. I don't want him to think I'm worrying or being nosey or whatever else he'll say to describe why I'm going home."

"Okay crazy. See you later."

The afternoon flew by faster than any day at home ever did and at twelve thirty Olivia picked up her purse and headed towards the door. She stopped abruptly when Abby cheerfully announced, "Liv? You have a visitor."

"Whoever it is tell them I'm gone."

"You want to see this person." Abby sang from the doorframe.

"I'm pretty sure the only person I want to see doesn't even know how to talk yet. Go away, Abby."

"Don't say I didn't warn youuuuuuu"

"Going somewhere?" A familiar baritone voice asked.

Olivia spun around to meet the blue eyes of her handsome husband.

"Told ya." Abby said sassily.

"How's SuperGirl today?" Fitz asked, kissing her cheek.

"It's been a struggle this morning with this one." Abby said, jerking her head in Olivia's direction.

"Oh, I can imagine." Fitz said with a grin. "Has she stopped talking about Link long enough to breathe yet?"

"Hello? I'm standing right here." Olivia said.

"Not for very long. But she's not as bad as I thought she would be with it being her first day back." Abby patiently explained.

"Still right here." Olivia said with a hand on her hip.

"Listen, you and Stephen need to come over for dinner one night. Link's been asking about you. I think he's forgotten what you look like. You're gonna lose your super aunt status if you're not careful." Fitz said with a smile.

"I'll talk to Stephen later on and pick a day. He'll be glad you are available for the equivalent of a man play date. We'll get back to you soon. Are you going to be cooking?"

"Get out, Abby. Now!" Olivia demanded.

"I was going anyway. Bye, Fitz." She laughed and closed the door to Olivia's office.

"Where are you going in such a rush?" Fitz asked as he made his way to his wife.

"To lunch." She simply said.

"Where you planning to eat?" He asked. He already knew.

"Uhhh, at that little dive place you took us girls to a few years ago. It's..."

"Liar." Was all he said. "I know what you're up to."

She raised her eyebrows skyward. "Oh? What am I up to then?"

Fitz put his arms around his wife and gave her a lopsided grin. "You're planning to sneak off to the house to check on Link."

"But? How...How did you know that?" She asked shocked.

"Because I was going there too." He grinned at her. "I figured we'd save gas and ride together. Plus, I'd get to spend some time with my hot wife too. It's a damn good way to spend my lunch hour."

Olivia let her fingers find their way into his curls and returned the grin. "You are so smart, husband. It must be why I married you." She pecked his lips happily.

"I thought it was for my..."

"Hey, Fitz!" Yvonne chirped. "Did Liv tell you my good news yet?"

"I was just about to." Olivia said, fighting off embarrassment. She looked at her husband and said, "Yvonne and Jason are engaged."

"Congratulations, Yvonne!" Fitz released his wife and gave Yvonne a hug after inspecting the diamond. "Gorgeous ring, by the way. Jason has good taste in jewelry and women. I know the two of you will be very happy."

"You see!" Yvonne said.

"See what?" Olivia asked impatiently.

"I didn't even have to flash him my finger or do anything stupid to draw his attention to my hand like I did for Batman and Robin! Thanks, Fitz. See you later."

"Did she just call you Batman? Or Robin?" Fitz asked smirking. "I kinda want to see you in tights now."

"Shut up and let's go." Olivia said chuckling.

The two giddy parents pulled into their driveway and practically raced each other to the door giggling. They stopped before entering long enough to catch their breath when the sound of music floated out to them from inside the house. Fitz and Olivia looked at each other with confused expressions. "What the hell is going on in there?" Olivia asked her husband.

Fitz shrugged and leaned over to look in the window. His face changed expressions so many times so quickly that Olivia lost count. He looked confused, then shocked, then he grinned.

"What is it? What's happening?" She whispered.

He kissed her nose in response. "Your mother is being completely adorable is what's happening in there."

"What's she doing? Let me see!" Olivia demanded.

"No! Leave her alone. Just know that Lincoln is a happy boy right now. Let's go back to work." Fitz took his wife's hand and tried to lead her off the porch, but she snatched it away and looked at him like he was crazy.

"If you think I came all the way to the house to check on our baby and am just going to leave without seeing him, you have lost your damn mind!" She argued.

"You aren't missing anything, woman! Leave them alone. They are having a moment!" Fitz whispered loudly.

"Nobody needs to have a moment with Lincoln more than I do, Fitz! And I am going in there!" She reached for the doorknob but Fitz grabbed her by the waist and literally moved her body away from the door. "What the hell are you doing?" Olivia demanded loudly, no longer whispering.

The front door opened quickly and Lila loudly asked, "What the hell are both of you doing? Neither one of you can whisper for shit!"

"What are you doing with my son in there?" Olivia asked boldly.

"Is he crying?" Her mother asked. She waited for her daughter to look at Lincoln.

"No." Olivia said.

"Does he look unhappy in any way to you?"

"No."

"Then what's it to you what I'm doing with him?" Lincoln started whimpering in Lila's arms and she shot her daughter a glare. Fitz stood in the background smiling as he watched the defiant mother-daughter exchange. "You woke him up! Now come in the house before we all catch pneumonia! It's freezing out here."

Olivia looked at her husband who was standing behind her. He didn't quite get his face straightened out before she turned around. He leaned close to kiss her but she just shook her head back and forth and went into the house.

Lila turned the music off as Lincoln's whimpering grew louder. She cut her eyes to her daughter and held her grandson out. Olivia took him from her mother's arms and started talking to him. "Has he had his noon bottle yet?"

Lila put her hand on her hip in response.

"Okayyyy. That's obviously a yes. I'm just gonna go check his diaper then." Olivia said quietly and left the room.

Lila turned her attitude on her grinning son in law. "Why can't you people leave us alone? I get three days a week with him but the two of you come sneaking up onto the porch. Peeking in the window. Arguing at the door. If you don't pull this shit when your momma is here, I'm gonna be offended!"

"I'm sorry, Lila. We just wanted to come home and see him. I knew Liv would end up doing it with or without me. I decided to join her. That's all. When I saw you and Link in here dancing, I tried to get her to leave. But...well, you know how she is!"

"Oh, I know alright! I know Olivia was in tears this morning because she forgot to put her shoes on before walking out the door. I know she has texted me four times before the clock struck ten. And I know the two of you just can't stay away from him for more than five minutes." Lila sighed and sat down on the sofa. "He was just a little whiney. Fighting sleep is all. I thought I'd put some music on and see what he thought of it. Next thing I know, we are waltzing and he's almost asleep. Until the two of you showed up."

"It was very sweet to watch." Fitz tried with a smile.

"If we wanted for people to watch we'd be in a talent show." She said sarcastically.

Both of them started chuckling, and were still laughing when Olivia brought her newly changed son back into the living room. "What's so funny?" She asked.

"Nothing, baby. I'm sorry I yelled at you for coming to see your son. It's my first day too though. And I was enjoying it completely. We read some books, we had a bottle, we took a nap. We got up and did it all over again. I know you miss him and today was a tough one for you. Forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive, momma. I didn't think of it as being your first day too. I'm sorry I stomped all over your time with Lincoln." Olivia hugged him closer and said, "I just miss him so much. It's not unbearable like I thought it would be, but still tough though. I've kept myself busy all morning so it wouldn't be as difficult. You're doing a great job with him and we appreciate you doing this for us and for him."

Fitz took Link out of his mother's arms and kissed his chubby cheek. "How can you not miss this cute little face? It's so cute and squishy!"

"Is now a bad time to tell you that I made lunch for both of you?" Lila asked with a grin.

Olivia stared at her mother with wide eyes. "What? Why?"

"Please." Lila said throwing her hand in their direction. "I knew one of you would end up here long before you were supposed to be. I made some chili and there's enough for you to eat for dinner too."

Fitz quickly passed Lincoln to Olivia, took Lila in his arms, dipping her low and kissing her cheek. "Please move in with us! I'm begging you. Again."

"Let go of me, you crazy fool." Lila chuckled and swatted at his arm. "Grab a few bowls down and we'll eat before you two go back to work and leave us be."

"Yes, ma'am." Fitz said smiling broadly.

"Thanks, momma. You're the best." Olivia chimed in.

"Been trying to tell you that for years, baby." Lila simply replied.


	19. Rico Suave

_Sorry that this chapter was so long coming. Life got in the way of my writing and for the first time with this story, I got a major case of writers block. I gotta give props to one of my biggest cheerleaders with this story - Elverlean Whitaker - for giving me a story idea. It started out the way you suggested, but took on a life of it's own. I hope you're not disappointed? Thank you again to all of my readers for your encouragement. It means the world!_

Rico Suave

Olivia stepped out of the elevator onto the nineteenth floor at the firm. It was a typical Monday morning at the office and the floor was alive with activity. Clicking could be heard as deft fingers moved quickly over keyboards and laptops. Phones rang from all over the floor sounding like a melody of money making music to any lawyer's ear. Men and women were dressed in their office best and had fake excited smiles plastered on their faces as they inwardly regretted staying up or out too late the night before. Pleasant good mornings were exchanged between almost anyone you came in contact with on the way to your office. The smell of coffee filled Olivia's nostrils and made her want another cup of the warm, brown, highly caffeinated goodness in her mug.

When she reached the familiar glass doors, Olivia stopped to greet Yvonne and was about to request a cup of coffee before it disappeared, when her crazy assistant shoved her into her office. Olivia gave Yvonne a look of annoyance and angrily asked, "What the hell are you doing?" The Monday morning office bliss was gone.

Yvonne pointed her finger at her boss, steered her to the sofa, and said. "Shut up!

"Excuse me? I don't think you know who you're talking to right now?" Olivia spat out.

"The high and mighty Olivia Grant. Yea, yea. Look, Abby will be here in.." She looked at her watch and added, "two minutes. Until then, we stay down and out of sight. Got it?"

"No! I don't got it! I am a partner at this law firm and I don't appreciate you talking to me like..."

"Ohmygod! Please shut up! Just wait for Abby to get here. We'll explain everything to you then."

"Fine! But later, you and I are going to review the office handbook. Especially the code of conduct. Because right now, you are not acting like a partner's assistant. You are acting like a..."

Abby flew into the office and rushed to the sofa. Olivia gave her a confused look. "How bad was it on a scale of chatty Cathy to a rambling senile person?"

Yvonne shrugged. "Somewhere in the middle. She really doesn't know how to be quiet. And she really doesn't like to be told to shut up. It was kinda fun!"

Abby looked at her speechless friend and grinned. "I'll bet."

Olivia looked from Abby to Yvonne and then back again. "Do the two of you want to tell me what the hell is going on here? The world seemed a normal place until this freak practically dragged me into my own office."

"I didn't drag. I shoved. Jeez." Yvonne said on an eye roll.

"What the hell is going on?" Olivia spat out impatiently.

"Someone needs more coffee!" Abby said grinning.

"Yes! I was literally on the verge of asking crazy head to get me some when she SHOVED me in here."

Yvonne gave Olivia an are-you-kidding-me look and said, "I'm your assistant, not a glorified coffee fetcher. Get your own damned coffee."

Olivia pointed her index finger at her assistant. "You have been spending too much time with Abby. You are getting really annoying and lippy and.."

"Ohmygod. Here he comes." Abby breathed.

"Fuck me!" Yvonne whispered.

"I wish he would." Abby quietly agreed.

Olivia looked at the two women who were literally peering over the back of the couch in a huddled state as they kept the rest of their bodies hidden. She wondered what they were looking at? Or who rather? "What's going on? I was only out last Thursday and Friday because Lincoln was running a low-grade fever. What has happened around here since then that is causing the two of you to act like hormonal teenagers over the high school quarterback?"

"Him." Yvonne pointed toward the glass as her eyes stayed plastered to the figure walking by.

Olivia turned her scowling face toward the glass doors and saw what they were looking at. The scowl faded quickly. A very handsome, well dressed man breezed their way as he walked down the hall. Olivia eyed him up and down but saw no reason why the two women in her office were hiding and lusting after him. "That guy? Who is he?"

"Please shut up and let us enjoy the scenery in peace! We have done this twice last week and would like to make it a daily work habit. But you are making that damned hard to accomplish with all your talking." Yvonne said with a scowl of her own. She turned her attention back to the dreamy man who was getting closer to passing Olivia's door. "Is it me, or is he walking in slow motion, Abby?"

"It's definitely not you." Abby whispered lustily.

"You two are completely ridiculous." Olivia chided loudly. Apparently, it was loud enough that the gliding eye candy looked over into Olivia's office and made eye contact with her. He stopped mid step and made his way to her door.

"Ohmygod, he's coming in here!" Yvonne squealed.

"Act natural." Abby said.

"That'll be difficult for the two of you." Olivia chuckled. She watched as they turned around and sat on the sofa, pretending to look at magazines.

There was a knock on her door, and Olivia took her eyes from the two idiots taking up space in her office to the man standing halfway inside. "Olivia Grant, I presume?" He smiled widely showing all of his perfectly straight white teeth.

Olivia took the few steps toward him and stretched out her right hand. "That would be me. And you are?"

"Ohmygod, she's gonna touch him!" Abby whispered quietly to Yvonne.

"She's gonna give us a full report on what his hands feel like, what his breath smells like, and what kind of cologne he wears. For research." Yvonne shrugged.

"Oh. Wow. I'm so sorry. Where are my manners? I'm Aaron Huggins." He shook her hand enthusiastically, his smile never faltered. "I'm the new guy. Stephen hired me to help you out with an upcoming case you are taking to court. The Elverlean case to be specific. I have heard stories about you around here the last few days. I must say, you are more beautiful than anyone described."

"His initials are AH." Yvonne whispered. "Makes sense."

"Shhhhh!" Abby hissed.

Olivia pulled her hand out of his grasp and smiled tightly. "Thank you. I'm also more married than anyone probably described too. Happily so. Nice to meet you, Mr. Huggins. I apologize for not being here last Thursday and Friday to meet you then, but my young son was sick and I stayed home to take care of him. We'll get you caught up on the case in a few hours. I am gathering my team in the conference room at ten. I'll make proper introductions for everyone to meet you then."

"No need, Miss Grant. I..."

"Mrs."

"I beg your pardon?"

"It's Mrs. Grant. You called me Miss." Olivia smiled. She was going to set this man straight right off.

"My apologies. As I was saying, Mrs. Grant, there is no need to meet everyone because I have already been introduced to them. Stephen took me around last week and made introductions. I'm glad to finally meet the fearless leader of our team." He said smoothly.

"Fantastic. It was nice to meet you Mr. Huggins. I will see you in the conference room at ten then."

"Until ten." He smiled at her one last time and then recognized the other two women in the room. "Hello Abby and Yvonne. I hope you two ladies have a great day." He walked out the door and continued down the hall.

"Holy shit!" Yvonne squealed.

"He knows our names!" Abby whispered in shock.

Olivia closed the door behind Ricco Suave and rolled her eyes. She didn't know who the bigger fool was? The women that were still on her couch or the slick new guy. "Hey! If the two of you don't stop acting stupid, I'm going to slap the shit out of both of you and then I will stand over your bodies, take a picture, caption it fangirls down, and post it on Instagram. That guy is NOT worth you getting twitter pated over. He is handsome, I'll give you that. But he knows it. He actually thinks he hung the moon or something. It's a turn off and someone is going to come along and knock him down a peg or two and he will look like a complete fool. I thought the two of you had higher expectations than that?"

"It was so quiet around here last week. Let's go Abby." The two of them silently walked out the door and reluctantly went back to work.

At nine forty-five Olivia gathered up her files and made her way to the conference room. Olivia had already requested Yvonne's presence at the meeting, so she trailed behind her boss. Aaron reached the door two steps ahead of them and smiled while reaching for the handle to hold the door open for the women. "After you two."

"Thank you, Mr. Huggins." Olivia said politely and stepped inside.

"You're welcome Miss Grant." He replied.

Olivia stopped mid step and turned around to face him with a smile plastered on her face. Inside she was seething. "It's Mrs. Grant. Remember? You can call me Olivia is it's too difficult."

"That's right. My apologies...Olivia."

Shit. That was much worse. He made her name sound like a lover's secret. Probably something he learned at finishing school. Olivia grit her teeth and refrained from rolling her eyes. It was super difficult though.

Everyone was sitting at the large oval table in the center of the room. Aaron sat down and waited for Olivia to get settled. She went over the case and told of her court strategy to ensure that everyone was on the same page. She handed out some last minute leg work that needed to be done and asked if there were any questions. Of course, Mr. Huggins had one.

"At what point, if any, will you need me to assist you in court?"

"I know you are anxious to help in any way possible, Mr. Huggins and I appreciate your eagerness. I will let you know when your assistance is needed as we go along." She smiled and hoped that was a sufficient answer. Naturally, it wasn't.

"Anything I can do to help, Olivia. Anything at all. I am at your complete disposal." He said with a broad smile.

Apparently, Ricco Suave didn't have an off switch. Olivia returned the smile and said, "I'll make a note of it. Thank you. This is a great team and we all work together towards the same goal, which is a victory in court. Now, let's go be productive so we can win this case."

Everyone began filing out and Aaron stayed back. Olivia pretended not to notice and gathered up her papers, watching him from the corner of her eye. When they were the last two left in the room, he spoke up. "Olivia?" When she finally dragged her eyes to meet his, he smiled at her and said, "I just wanted to say thank you for the warm welcome to your team. I'll do my best not to let you down."

"You're welcome. I expect nothing less than the best from everyone on my team." She pulled all of her items into her arms and started towards the door. "Have a nice afternoon."

He looked at his watch and said, "It's almost lunchtime. Would you like to go grab something to eat together and discuss the case more in depth?"

Olivia looked at him. He was charming. And handsome. But there was something about him that made her pause. She couldn't put her finger on it. He was smug and confident, but most lawyers were. It was something else. It wasn't that she didn't trust him. If that were the case, he wouldn't be on hers. Even so, she wasn't going to be alone with him. It would give him the wrong idea. And Olivia had a feeling he already had a good start on the wrong idea when it came to her, no matter how much she tried to detour him from it.

"No thank you. I think we covered just about everything in here. Most days I work through my lunch break, so I can go home to my family a little earlier. Have a good afternoon though." She proceeded out the door towards her office.

Later that evening, as Olivia was giving Lincoln his bath, she told Fitz about Mr. Huggins. "He just acted really weird. Like he was hitting on me without actually hitting on me."

Fitz's protective side came out in full force. "Do you need me to come down there and have a little chat with him about how to treat my wife?"

Olivia giggled at her husband. "No. I can handle myself, thank you very much."

"How about if I kick his ass without actually kicking his ass?" He replied sarcastically.

She put both of her soapy hands on either side of his face and kissed him. "As much as I really want to know what that looks like, I believe I set him straight and he won't be a problem any more. I love you for trying to protect me though. My knight in shining armor."

"Bet your perfect post pregnancy ass. But seriously, if he does anything that bothers you again, let me know and I will be making a trip to your office where I will make things crystal clear to him about how to treat a woman at the office." Olivia smiled at him. "Then I'll kick his ass and it will definitely look like I have." The smile turned into laughter.

The next day, Olivia left home an hour earlier than normal. She had explained to both Fitz and her mother the night before that she had gotten a tip on her case and had to go check it out. Aaron was supposed to meet her there and while she wasn't looking forward to being around him, it couldn't be helped. She kissed her husband and sleeping son before scurrying out the door.

She met with the investigating officer at the police department to discuss what he had found. It turned out to be great for her case and Olivia thanked the investigator for his hard work. Walking out of the precinct, Aaron grinned at her and raised his right hand. Olivia figured what the hell, and gave him a high five. It felt great to being one step closer to having all of the loose ends on this case tied up.

Maybe she had judged him too harshly? Maybe it was the adrenaline of the small victory. Either way, Olivia thought she'd offer an olive branch. "I didn't have time to eat before I left home at the crack of dawn. Do you want to grab some breakfast."

Aaron smiled at her and nodded. "I didn't have time to eat either. Breakfast would be great. Do you know of any place good that's nearby?"

Olivia looked at her watch and then grimaced. Thinking of The Sweet Spot, she said "I do, but it's not open yet." Olivia knew Fitz wasn't even there yet, and that was the major reason for her to go there. "We can just hit up a fast food place if that's ok with you?"

"Food is food. I'm not picky. I'll follow you." Aaron said, as they each got into their own cars.

As she drove, Olivia thought Aaron seemed normal today. Maybe she had overreacted to him at work the previous day? Maybe he had gotten the message she had tried to send out and had realized he needed to dial back his ego? Whatever it was, she was thankful for his help this morning and for his more human like side. She pulled in to a McDonalds and parked her car. Aaron pulled in beside her and the two of them made their way inside after locking their cars.

It was still early, so the restaurant wasn't super busy. They walked up to the counter and Olivia asked, "Do you have any freshly made coffee?"

"We just made two pots in anticipation of the soon coming breakfast rush." The girl behind the counter said with a smile.

"Great! I'll have a large coffee with cream and sugar please. I'd also like some pancakes. No sausage. That'll be all."

"Your total is "Four eighty-nine." Olivia swiped her credit card and the girl behind the counter said, "Aww, what a cute baby. I didn't know you could put your own pictures on your credit cards like that?"

Olivia looked down at the image of Lincoln smiling up at her from his bouncy seat and recalled the recent memory. "Yea! It makes it way too easy for me to use my credit card every day though." Olivia chuckled.

"Can I see?" Aaron asked.

"Yea, of course. This is Lincoln. He's the cutest baby in the world." Olivia said proudly.

"He is cute. I'm not really a kid person though." Aaron admitted.

"I wasn't either about four years ago. Kids terrified me. Literally. But the more I was around them, the more comfortable I felt. Having one of my own turned into something I desperately wanted more than anything else. After I found the perfect guy first." She took a sip of her coffee and said, "Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure. You can ask me anything." Aaron said.

"Are you an only child?" She inquired.

"Yea. How'd you know that?" He asked, giving her a look.

"I'm an only child too. It's my own personal opinion that a lot of only children are freaked out by kids because they weren't around a lot of them when they were younger. If you think about it, it makes sense."

Aaron seemed to think about that statement. "That does makes sense. I have literally never wanted kids of my own. They are messy and loud and needy..."

"And love you unconditionally, and make you feel like you are the best person on earth, and their smiles are the best part of the day. When you meet the right woman, you might change your mind? It'll happen when you least expect it. Believe me."

"Where did you meet your husband?"

"You'll never believe me." Olivia said on a chuckle. The two of them picked up their trays of food, thanked the cashier, and took a brightly colored seat.

"Come on. Where?"

"At the dry cleaners."

"No way!"

"Yes way! It was the most random day running errands for me. I walked into the dry cleaners and saw him and flirted shamelessly with him." She laughed. "It's also where he proposed to me later on."

"Wow. So, to meet my dream girl I need to get my shirts pressed more often?"

"Maybe. It definitely couldn't hurt." The two of them ate their food and chatted in between. Olivia felt more at ease with him and less apprehensive and angry.

Toward the end of the day, Olivia updated her team via email and got information from those working on the other loose threads. She was feeling better about the case already and felt sure that a victory was all but guaranteed. Just as she sent the last email her two friends came in, and they looked unhappy.

"What's the matter with you two?"

"You screwed up our morning routine. You just couldn't let us have our two minutes of morning bliss, could you?" Yvonne accused.

"Look, I know how we all like pretty things. I chased after pretty things before I met Fitz, so I can appreciate man candy when I see it. And granted, he is handsome. But there is something not all together right with him." Olivia explained.

"What do you mean?" Abby asked full of concern. "Did he do something to you? Say something inappropriate?"

"No. I can't exactly put my finger on it, but my gut is telling me to be on guard with him and I don't know why. Yesterday he pissed me off all morning long with his overly niceness and borderline flirty behavior. This morning, he was a completely nice guy with no agenda at all. I don't know what it is, but there is something not quite right about Mr. Huggins. The two of you need to be careful."

"Borderline flirty behavior? What did he say?" Abby wanted to know.

"Well, he kept calling me Miss instead of Mrs., even after I corrected him more than once. He commented on my looks instead of my brain." Olivia noticed that Yvonne and Abby were looking at each other with confused looks. "I said I couldn't explain it! There's something telling me to be careful about him is what I'm saying, and I'm going to listen to it."

"We believe you, Liv. If you say he gives you the heebie jeebies then we will keep an eye out for you when he is around. There isn't a man alive who is worth splitting up the three amigos." Yvonne stated with a determined look.

Olivia gave Yvonne a bland look. "Did you just compare us three amazingly successful women to three crazy old white guys in big hats?" The three of them giggled together and it felt good to have her friends in her corner once again.

A knock on her door had all three heads looking up toward it. It was none other than the source of their conversation. "Liv, Stephen is wanting the team in the conference room right now. Something big broke on the case and he wants to pass it down personally." He smiled at her.

Olivia quietly grimaced, but it was Abby who raised her eyebrows, stood up tall, and pointed a long skinny finger in Aaron's direction. "Let's get some things clear here, Aaron. Olivia is married and her title is Mrs. Grant. Not Liv, or Olivia. Mrs. Grant."

"Oh. I'm sorr.."

"And Stephen is a partner in this firm. His title is Mr. Finch. Not Stephen. And if he needs to meet with Mrs. Grant's team, he will get in contact with her himself. Not send a gopher down here to tell her. You work for us, you are not friends with us. And on the off chance the two of you happen to hang out after work, you can call him whatever the hell you want to. But at the office it's Mr. Finch and Mrs. Grant. Got it, Mr. Huggins?"

Aaron's face reddened with embarrassment. "Yes, ma'am." He grit out. "Mr. Finch sent me because he got pulled into a meeting at the moment and wasn't able to get in touch with Mrs. Grant himself before it started. I just happened to be passing by his office before he went into his meeting. He would like us to be in the conference room so that he can join us when his brief meeting is over."

"Great." Abby sang out. "Thank you for clarifying that. You can go now."

The three women did not watch him walk away. Olivia and Yvonne looked wide eyed at Abby who had taken her seat once again. "What the hell was that?"

"That was me making things crystal clear to Mr. Huggins. He's here four days and thinks he gets the privilege of calling you Liv? Hell no! I had to live with you in a teeny tiny college dorm room for over a year before you would even talk to me. But you were a snooty bitch back then." Abby smirked.

"I told Abby he was a freak last Friday." Yvonne tried.

"I believe your exact words were 'I wonder what kind of freaky things he would let me do to him?'" Abby corrected with a grin. "The point is, he should be straightened out now. If he continues to give you creepy vibes, come tell me. We will meet with the partners and fire his ass."

"I don't want anyone to lose their job, Abby but I don't want to have to worry about a split personality either, wondering which one I'm going to be dealing with day to day. You know what I mean?" Olivia asked.

"I know exactly what you mean. I'll be keeping an eye on Mr. Huggins. If he tries any more shit, he'll be out on his ass. End of story!" Abby said with sass. "You need to move yours. Apparently, there's a meeting in the conference room."

"I'm going to call Fitz first and let him know I'll be running late tonight. I'll be glad when this case is over and I can go back to my normal hours again. Yvonne, please tell the team I'll be right there." Her assistant nodded and the two women left.

Olivia picked up her cell and called her husband. He answered on the third ring. "Hi, gorgeous wife."

His words brought an immediate smile to Olivia's face and a more relaxed feeling. "Hi, handsome husband. How is your day going?"

"It's over. It's quarter til six, Liv. I'm headed home."

Olivia looked at her watch. Damn, the time went by fast today.

"Please tell me you are on your way home too?" He asked patiently.

"Actually, I'm still at the office. My big case got a break and Stephen wants my team to meet in the conference room to brief us. I'm sure it won't last long." She tried. She heard Fitz sigh into the phone and felt bad. "I'm sorry, babe. I'll leave as soon as the meeting is over. If anything needs updating, I'll do it from home. But this is a big case and I need to make sure all the i's are dotted and t's are crossed."

"I understand. You rarely get a case as big as this. If you have to stay, then stay. Come home when you can. I miss you, babe." Fitz hated to see his wife pulled in different directions and feel like she had to be perfect in every role. "Maybe we can take a relaxing bath together later?"

Olivia leaned closer to her phone with her smile widening, as if it would somehow make her closer to Fitz. "That sounds so good right now. A bath with you would be the perfect way to end this weird day."

"Your day has been weird?" He asked. "It's not that asshole again is it?"

"I'll tell you all about it at home. Don't worry, I'm fine." Olivia sighed. Abby appeared at her door and pointed to her watch and then toward the conference room. "Look, I've got to go, Fitz. I love you. Kiss my little man for me."

He knew she was exhausted. He could hear it in her voice. Knowing an idiot was throwing a monkey wrench into her days concerned Fitz. He hoped that all of her hard work for this case racked up a win for her and she was able to take a day or two off when it was over. He thought about taking her away for a weekend. Just the two of them. Knowing Liv, it would be the three of them. But at that moment, Fitz didn't care. He just wanted to take her away somewhere so she could relax and take her mind off work. Maybe he'd stop by her office and surprise her with some dinner? He grinned as the perfect spot to grab something came to mind. "Okay, babe. I love you too."

Olivia ended the call and went to the conference room. She noticed that Mr. Huggins was sitting near the door and far away from her. It didn't stop him from shooting her angry looks while they waited. Stephen joined them shortly afterwards and handed out the good news. Two more of the loose ends had been officially tied up in their favor. He explained how it had been accomplished and that another witness had come forward to testify for the defense. It was wonderful news for everyone involved.

When the meeting was dismissed thirty minutes later, happy handshakes and congratulations were passed around to everyone personally from both Stephen and Olivia. The feeling in the room was one of exuberance. Olivia wondered why then, was Aaron not smiling and practically sulking alone in a corner of the room. She decided not to worry about him and hugged Yvonne excitedly.

The room thinned out quickly as people gathered their belongings and departed the office for the day. Stephen smiled broadly at Olivia and said once again, "Congratulations! You have a great team who have done exceptional work. I can already taste the win of this one."

Shaking his hand, Olivia replied, "Your help with securing the new witness is key to that taste. I feel really confident with this case heading in the win column too. Thank you, Stephen. For everything."

"There's nothing like great teamwork on a case. You always choose the very best people, Liv. And I think when this is over, you should consider taking some time off to spend with your family. Win or lose, and I'm counting on a win, you deserve it." He hugged her with a bright smile.

Pulling away, and smiling herself, Olivia said, "Funny you should say that. I was thinking of kidnapping my husband and taking off for a weekend getaway by ourselves when this is over. If only I knew a certain redheaded who would be willing to keep an eye on my favorite little man?"

"Say no more! Leave Lincoln with us. I am dying to get that damned stubborn woman pregnant!" Stephen said grinning.

"You are? You know you need to tell her or she'll never go for it. Besides, this could backfire on you. A crying baby for an entire weekend could very well turn her off from having kids permanently." Olivia chuckled.

"Well, I want a baby. A beautiful red headed sassy mouthed one. We'll discuss this more after you've won the case though. Have a good evening, Liv."

"Can't wait. Nite, Stephen." Olivia chuckled. She grabbed her file and headed toward the door, getting stopped by the very few people still left in the room. After the brief chats with them she finally walked out the door, where Aaron was waiting for her.

"I'd like a moment of your time, Mrs. Grant." He put a sarcastic emphasis on the Mrs. and took hold of her elbow, leading the way.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Huggins?" She asked, stopping in the hallway and pulling her elbow out of his grasp.

"There are a few things that I have questions about. Questions that only you can answer. Do you have a few minutes to spare?"

He was speaking to her in gentle tones and seemed like the normal version of Mr. Huggins. Olivia didn't see any harm in answering whatever he had to ask so she agreed. "Of course. I'm heading home so I only have a few minutes. Let's talk on the way to my office. I can grab my purse and we can finish it up on the way out of the building."

"Sounds good to me." He smiled pleasantly.

 **To be continued...**


	20. Questions and Answers

Questions and Answers

Olivia had been walking in silence with Aaron for a few minutes and he hadn't uttered a single word. She thought that was strange for someone who had questions, but let it go. Maybe he had questions about the case and didn't want to ask her while...she looked around the hall...three people were headed for the elevator? She started to get an uneasy feeling, but figured he must have something of a sensitive nature to ask, so she kept walking.

They rounded the corner to her office, and Aaron pushed her door open and gestured for her to step inside while he waited. She went in, put her file in the filing cabinet, and locked it. Tired of the silence and anxious to go home, she turned to him and said, "What did you want to ask me?"

"I just wanted some clarification on a few things." He said simply.

"Such as?"

"Such as..."

"Is this in reference to the case?" She interrupted.

"No." He said with no emotion in his voice.

Olivia noticed that he was standing in front of her door, effectively blocking her inside. Thinking quickly, Olivia said, "Ahhh, I left my keys in the conference room." She smiled at him and took a step toward the door, but he didn't move. "Excuse me, Aaron, but I really need to go get my keys from the conference room. You can walk with me if you like?"

"We both know you didn't leave your keys in the conference room, Olivia. There's no need for pretenses here." He watched her step back behind her desk, never taking her eyes off of him. "But it's funny that you called me my first name. It's actually one of my questions."

"Oh? What's the question?" She asked. Olivia was trying to shake the nervous feeling off so it couldn't be heard in her voice.

"Why is it Abby chewed me out in front of you and your assistant for being informal at the office, but you are permitted to call me by my first name?" He watched her shift her weight from one foot to another. She was nervous.

"I think that's something you need to take up with Abby since she's the one who addressed the issue with you." Olivia calmly explained.

"I'm asking you!" He yelled.

Olivia was visibly startled by his changed demeanor. Trying to be calm, Olivia said, "I am calling you by your first name because we are alone. If there were other employees around, I would be more formal with you."

"Thank you for that explanation. It makes sense."

She smiled at him, hoping his rant was over. "You're welcome." She looked at her watch and said, "It's getting late. I don't know about you, but I'm beyond ready to go home."

"I have another question for you." Aaron said pleasantly.

Shit.

Determined to stay calm, Olivia said, "Okay. What can I help you with?"

"You say that you call me by my first name when we are alone."

"That's right." She had no idea where this was going.

"Why then, did you call Stephen by his first name in the conference room in front of the entire team? Seems like the rules don't apply to you?" He took a step toward her and watched her eyes grow wider. "Do they? Apply to you, Olivia?"

Was he really going to call her out on something so minute? "Of course they do. I was just caught up in the moment from all of the good news we got. Besides, Stephen has been a friend of mine for years, and we are two of the partners in this law firm. But I can understand how that might have looked to a new employee. I'm sorry if it looked unprofessional, especially after the things Abby said to you. I will have to be more mindful of my actions."

"I think that would be wise." He took another step closer toward her and watched her eyes dart around the room for a way to get past him. He wasn't quite done chatting with her though. He spread his hands, palms up, in front of his body. "Let's finish this conversation on the way to our cars. As you suggested earlier." He said politely.

"Unless you have any other concerns, I think I've answered all of your questions, Mr. Huggins."

"Don't do that!" He warned in a low voice.

"Don't do what?" She had no idea what he was talking about.

"Don't talk to me like a professional after I just yelled at you. We're alone, after all and you have just explained to me that it's okay when we are alone. I'm sorry for that by the way. I was just frustrated. Can we please talk about the case now?"

"You know, Aaron, as much as I'd like to, it's been a long day and it's getting late. And I really just want to go home and see my husband and son. Can we talk about it tomorrow please?" Olivia was getting whiplash from his ever changing attitudes. She hoped he would be too tired to talk about anything more tonight. She needed to get the hell away from him, go home, and call Abby to get his ass fired from the office as soon as possible.

"No. I'd really like to talk about it now. I think you owe me that much."

Olivia couldn't hide her surprise at his statement. "I'm sorry. What? You think I owe you something? In what world do I owe you anything?" She laughed bitterly at him. She went to her desk, getting closer to him than she would like, and grabbed her purse. Looping it on her forearm, she looked into his eyes and said, "I'm going home now."

Aaron grabbed her arm roughly and said, "I don't think so. You are staying right here with me and talking through the case. Your happy home life can wait another hour for your grand entrance."

"Take your fucking hand off of her. NOW!" A voice roared from behind Aaron.

He spun around in confusion and saw a man standing in Olivia's doorway holding a white paper bag. Aaron looked the man up and down and finally said, "Who the hell are you? The cleaning guy? Go away. This is business, and it's none of yours."

Fitz raised his eyebrows skyward, looked at Olivia, and asked one question. "Is this the asshole?"

Olivia nodded silently, on the verge of tears but holding it together.

Looking directly at Aaron, Fitz said, "I'll only say it once more. Take your hand off of her. I'm going to kick your ass either way, but it'll be much worse if you continue to keep your grasp on her arm. Let go now!"

"Fuck you." Aaron said to Fitz, and turned back to Olivia with a sneer. "Can you tell him to leave?"

A growl could be heard before Fitz took the few steps to Aaron. Fitz spun around a surprised Aaron causing him to release Olivia's arm while Fitz held onto Aarons. "Are you okay, Liv?"

She nodded but didn't speak. Couldn't. The tears threatened to spill from her eyes and Fitz said, "Hold it together just a few more minutes, okay? He doesn't get to see you cry."

Olivia nodded and took a calm deep breath in. She gave Aaron a scathing look and said, "You're right."

"That's my girl. Go stand by the door so you're safe and out of the way. I've got to teach this piece of shit a lesson." Fitz increased the pressure on the asshole's forearm until he felt certain he would break the bone. Aaron winced loudly. "How does that feel? I'm guessing it hurts like a bitch? Did you stop long enough to imagine what it would feel like on a much smaller arm. Didn't your mother teach you how to treat a lady?"

Realizing he had made a mistake of epic proportions, Aaron quickly brought back his arm and swung a wide punch at Fitz. Olivia sucked in a sharp breath, expecting the worst, but Fitz easily evaded the blow.

"Big mistake. But thank you for taking the first swing. I won't be holding back on you. And for the record, I am not the cleaning guy, asshole. Olivia is my wife, and I really don't appreciate you putting your hands on her. That is not okay! It's pretty fucked up in fact. Your mistake was not listening to me when I warned you about it." Fitz drew back his left arm and rammed it right into Aaron's stomach. The man folded in half at the waist and groaned in pain.

Fitz stepped to the man and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, hauling him back up to standing. "I was warned by my wife that you were an asshole at work. So, a small part of this is my fault for not coming down here and having a talk with you myself about how I expect you to treat my queen. But in the past ten minutes, you have erased even that small amount of guilt for me, because obviously you wouldn't have listened to me anyway. I don't know why you have such a hard on for acting like a caveman with her, but it stops NOW!"

Aaron staggered, still stooped over from his stomach pain, and felt Fitz's grip loosen some. He took the opportunity to stomp down hard on his foot. Fitz let go of him and hopped away, looking down at his newly injured foot. Aaron took advantage of his disoriented state to land an uppercut to Fitz's face. Fitz landed on his ass with a groan as Olivia watched the scene unfold behind him with wide eyes.

"Get up, Fitz!" Olivia screamed.

"Get up Fitz." Aaron mocked. He turned away, pushing a hand to his own quickly blacking eye.

Olivia saw Fitz on the floor, trying to get his bearings. Then she looked over at Aaron for the first time since she had gotten away from him. Hate flashed in her eyes and she ran toward him and jumped on his back, punching him wherever her little fists landed.

"Get the hell off me!" Aaron wailed angrily. He reached behind his back, unsuccessfully trying to pull her off. He pushed backwards into the closest wall and she fell to the floor.

The next moment, Aaron was falling to the ground too and angry fists were pummeling into his body. Fitz flipped him over and Aaron knew this was over for him. Olivia's husband looked beyond pissed off. His right eye was discolored, but his teeth were bared and he was relentlessly hitting him over and over.

"You will never put your hands on her again! Do you hear me? EVER!" Fitz screamed. When Fitz realized that Aaron wasn't moving anymore, and that Olivia was trying to pull him off of the bloodied man, Fitz finally stopped.

Fitz shakily stood up and collapsed in his wife's arms. Olivia held him tightly, keeping one eye on the man crumpled on the floor behind her husband. She ran her hands all over his face and chest. "Are you okay?" He winced when she touched his right eye and immediately apologized.

"Don't apologize, Liv. None of this is your fault. Do you hear me?" When she nodded, he took her into his arms and it was then that she broke down. He held her tightly as she cried and kissed the top of her head. "Are you all right, babe? Let me see your arm please." Olivia pulled up the sleeve of her shirt and they both saw Aaron's handprint on her arm and they were already starting to turn black and purple. "That fucker!" He whispered. Fitz brought her arm up to his lips and tenderly kissed it. "I'm so sorry, Liv."

"No!" Olivia said quietly. "You did nothing wrong either. It was all him. You were just trying to protect me. I don't even want to think about what would have happened if you hadn't come along."

"What the hell was this all about anyway? The last thing you told me was the he was an asshole. Not dangerous. Has he ever acted like this before?" Fitz asked.

"No, he never has. I was headed to my office and he said he wanted to ask me a few questions. Everyone was leaving for the day since our meeting got out so late, and I figured we would talk until I got to my car and then go home. He was pissed off because Abby gave him a stern talking to in front of Yvonne and I about being professional at work. He was getting too comfortable and calling us by our first names in front of other associates."

"Abby was right. He's a fucking asshole." His mind went to another place as he glanced around the room and asked her, "Are there cameras in here?"

Understanding what he meant, Olivia nodded and pointed up to the corner of her office. "Everyone has them in their office and they are all throughout the building. For security."

"Good. It will work to our advantage if he tries anything after he gets fired." Fitz spared a glance at the asshole and was pleased that he was still out. "We need to call the police and file a report, Liv." The two of them stood up and used Olivia's phone to call 911.

Abby flew into the hall near Olivia's office just as the officers were finishing up their separate questioning with Fitz, Olivia, and Aaron. An officer stood to his feet and extended an arm in front of Abby. "Whoa! You can't go in there, miss."

"My name is Abigail Finch and I am a partner at this law firm. My best friend, Olivia Grant, called me earlier and said she had some trouble here earlier. I'm here for her. Is she alright?"

"She's fine and will be out here as soon as the officer is done questioning her." He put his hand down and watched the obviously upset redhead pace the hall.

A few moments later, a door opened and Abby looked up from chewing on a fingernail. Her eyes went wide with shock. It was Fitz and he was sporting a black eye. "Ohmygod! What happened to you?"

"Your firm hired an asshole and he decided to put his hands on Olivia. I simply reacted." He put his hand on his eye and felt the swelling. "He got me once. The fucker."

"Is she okay? Did he punch her too? I will..." Looking around Abby noticed that the police officer was still standing nearby, and apparently listening to their conversation. "have a serious talk with him."

Fitz chuckled. He knew she withheld the threat she wanted to say because of the officer. He was past the point of caring anymore. "Too late. I tried talking to him. He didn't listen. So I punched him. Repeatedly. But that was after he put his hands on Olivia, who is fine by the way. She has a big nasty bruise on her arm already from him holding it like a vise."

Abby touched his shoulder and swatted his hand away from his eye to look at it herself. "You might want to go to the emergency room to get that checked out, Fitz?"

"Nah, I'm fine. I just need to get some ice on it." He said.

"You and Olivia both got hurt on company property. You have to go get it checked out. I'll drive you there as soon as she is free to go. It's non-negotiable."

Fitz rolled his eyes and realized that the simple rebellious gesture hurt his bad eye. "Fine. But I've got to call mom to let her know what's going on. Hopefully she can stay with Link for the next 7 hours while we go to the emergency room?" He really wanted to roll his eyes at the thought of that but didn't.

"If she can't let me know and I'll call Yvonne. I know she would love some quality time with Lincoln. Damned baby hog." Abby grabbed Fitz in a hug. "I'm so glad you showed up here. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Abs. I just need to get my wife away from here." At her look, he added, "After the emergency room, I know."

A few minutes later, Olivia came out of a different room than Fitz had. The moment she caught his eye, she ran in his direction...and hugged Abby. Fitz dropped his open arms and gave Abby an annoyed look. The two women were blubbering and trying to talk at the same time. Fitz had no idea what they were saying, but apparently they understood each other perfectly because they would nod their heads during their conversation.

They finally broke apart and Abby said, "I was just telling Fitz that we are going to the emergency room to get both of you checked."

"Abby, I just want to go home and see my baby. There are studies that show there are healing powers in baby cuddles. Besides, the ER is going to be packed on a Friday night and we will be there until tomorrow afternoon sometime."

"Yeaaa, Fitz already tried that on me. The thing is, you both got hurt at the office and..."

"And we have to get checked out since it could turn into something worse than we think. And it will save liability for the firm. I got it. I just don't have to like it." She leaned into Fitz and his arm came around her protectively. "Please promise me that when we finally get home, after I've seen Lincoln, that we can take that bath you promised me earlier?"

"Yes ma'am." He kissed her lips, and chuckled when he heard Abby making gagging noises beside them. "I really need to soak my hand anyways."

Four hours later, the emergency room doctor said nothing was broken, but that they both would be in some pain for a few days. Fitz more than Olivia. He told them both to take Tylenol for the pain and to keep ice on all of the bruises they both had to keep the swelling down. Luckily, it was the weekend and they both were grateful to have two days off to heal up at home. On Monday they would see how they felt about going back to work.

Emma and Lila were sitting on the couch together waiting for their children to get home from their trip to the emergency room. Wild horses couldn't keep Lila away from seeing her baby with her own two eyes when she got home. Lincoln was drinking a bottle in Emma's arms while Lila made coffee when Fitz and Olivia walked into their house.

Lila put the coffee pot down and went to hug her baby at the door. "Are you okay? I was so worried about you. Both of you."

"I've had better days, momma. I just have a bruise on my arm. Fitz is worse off than I am, but we were told nothing is broken at the ER." She released her mom and said, "I just want to see my little man for a minute though."

While Olivia made her way into the living room, Lila looked over at Fitz. "You're gonna have a shiner for sure tomorrow, brave man." She gathered him into her arms and held him tight. "I'm so glad you were there tonight. I hate to think about what would have happened if you hadn't gone to the firm."

"I don't want to even think about that, Lila. Our girl is safe at home, and hopefully that bastard is behind bars where he belongs. Thank you, by the way, for coming over to stay with mom. I know the wait was a little easier for her to endure with you here." Fitz kissed her cheek.

"Fitzgerald?" Emma called from the living room.

"Great. Now she is gonna want to check me over to make sure I'm alright. She should have been a nurse."

"Be thankful that you have a momma who loves you. Go on now. Go get checked over." Lila chuckled.

Fitz caught sight of his wife sitting on the couch with her feet tucked under her body, happily feeding a dozing off Lincoln the rest of his bottle. It made him smile and knew it made Olivia feel so much more content. Catching his mother's eye, Fitz saw a look of worry cross her face before it was replaced by steel determination.

"Well?" She asked with her hand on her hip as she looked up into his ridiculously handsome face.

"Well what?" Fitz asked defensively.

"Did you kick his ass thoroughly?"

Fitz grinned at his mother. "Yes, ma'am!" He said enthusiastically.

"That's my boy! I'm glad you're okay. Now, give your mom a hug. You made me worry about you."

Fitz leaned down and wrapped his huge arms around his little momma. He thought he heard her sniffle, but he would never bring it up and she would never admit to it. Lila was right, of course. He was thankful to have a mother who loved him and still made sure he was okay after an incident like tonight's. He looked over again at his wife and son and knew that there would be days that Lincoln would feel the same way about his mom. It gave him some comfort.

"Now that we have seen that the two of you are just fine, and back home safe and sound, we are going to skeedattle on out of here." Lila announced. She went to Lincoln and Olivia and planted a kiss on both of their heads. "I know I'm partial, but that is the best baby on earth. If you two don't screw it up, he'll stay that way."

"We'll do our best not to." Fitz grinned.

"Get some ice on that eye, Fitzgerald!" His mother warned.

Forgetting that it hurt, Fitz rolled his eyes and then winced. "Getting ice now." He said in a monotone voice. "Thank you both for staying with him. We love you."

Olivia carried a passed out Lincoln into the kitchen and hugged both mothers with one arm. "Thank you for everything. We would be lost without the two of you." She and Fitz walked them to the door and said goodnights to them.

Once again, Olivia leaned up against her husband. "I'm going to go lay him down and start a bath. Are you still up for it? I can take one myself if you aren't?"

"You're asking me if I want to get naked with my wife and sit in a hot bath? I'm always gonna say yes to that. I think a good quiet soak would do us both some good after this hellacious night. You lay the boy down and I'll start the bath. Grab a cup of coffee while you wait if you want?"

Olivia looked over at the empty pot. "Can't. Mom didn't finish making it. I really don't want to stay awake longer than necessary tonight anyway. But I really do want to take a bath."

Ten minutes later, the two of them were in the bathtub. Olivia was leaning up against Fitz's chest and at least in this moment in time, everything was right in the world. She felt relaxed and safe and loved. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes when she felt her husband gently push her slightly forward and begin to wash her back. He really did have magical hands. They made their way to her arms, and he paused when he got to her bruise.

"How is it feeling? Are you in much pain?" He asked.

"I don't want to talk about it tonight. Can we just enjoy a normal night at home together please?" She whispered.

Fitz knew she really should talk about it, but he didn't want to push her. "Sure." He brought her arm to his lips and planted a kiss on the marked skin. Just seeing it there made him want to beat Aaron's ass all over again, but he forced himself to calmly breathe in and out. "There's nothing planned for tomorrow, so I'm going to be kind and let you sleep as late as you want."

"My hero." Realizing that what she said referenced the earlier craziness, Olivia quietly said, "Thank you for saving me tonight."

"Hey, we don't have to talk about it tonight." Fitz kissed her shoulder before laying his head on it.

Olivia reached a hand up and played with the curls on the back of his neck, just the way he had admitted to her years ago that he liked. "We aren't talking about it tonight. But I want you to know that when you showed up, I knew I would be alright. I wasn't as scared anymore because I knew you would keep me safe. No matter what."

"I wish I had gotten there before he touched you. But I'm thankful it wasn't worse." Fitz closed his eyes and refused to let the images of Aaron gripping his wife's arm into his mind. Instead he focused on her hand in his hair. It calmed him. "I'll always do my best to keep you and Lincoln safe. Always. You're my best girl, Jenny."

Olivia laughed at his terrible Forrest Gump impersonation. "I'll always be your girl. You and me are like peas and carrots." She giggled.

"Well," Fitz began as he lifted his head with a wicked grin and kissed her shoulder once more. "I think we both know which one of us is the carrot."

"Ohmygod! You are terrible!" Olivia laughed. Fitz joined her in the laughter and that simple goofy moment was enough to make Olivia forget the ugliness they had been through.

"I love you, babe." Fitz said wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I love you more." Olivia said smiling, knowing what would follow.

"It's not possible, wife. Now. I think you should wash me up because this water is getting cold."

"Fine! But you can wash your own carrot." She giggled.

"Ha Ha. Look whose got jokes tonight." Fitz said humorlessly. "Seriously though, my carrot coins are going to shrivel up if we don't hurry up and get out of here. The two of them washed hurriedly and wrapped themselves up in plush towels.

Olivia yawned and said, "Remember that time I was sick and you and Abby stripped me down to throw me into the tub?"

"Please don't make me roll my eyes. It hurts too damned much. No one threw you anywhere! I don't know how many times I have to tell you that! But yes, I know what you are delusionally referring to."

"I'm exhausted and I don't have the strength to put my t-shirt on. Will you do it for me?"

Fitz gave her a look. "You are taking advantage of my kindness. I will do it on one condition."

"What's the condition?" She asked in a guarded yet sleepy voice.

"Whenever you wake up tomorrow, you make me some pancakes like a good little wife." He thought she would playfully slap his arm, but she just nodded and yawned. Fitz got her dressed and Olivia crawled into bed and waited for him to lay down. Once Fitz was laying on his back, she crawled onto his chest and sprawled across it. There couldn't be a better feeling in the world in Fitz's mind and he knew his wife was content to be in her happy place for the night. He brought his arms around her and held onto his wife as they both slipped into a deep sleep rather quickly.

The next day, around one in the afternoon, Olivia stumbled into the living room like a zombie. She was making the annoyed noises that matched what she looked like. Fitz and Lincoln were on the floor, enjoying tummy time and were smiling at each other. Fitz caught her eye and excitedly said, "Look, Link. Mommy is awake. Show her your trick."

Olivia plopped down on the floor beside them and watched her son for a few minutes. "What's his...OHMYGOD! Did my baby just roll over?!" She scooped Lincoln up and kissed his face all over, bringing more smiles from him. Looking over at Fitz, she asked "When did he start doing that?"

"Literally just five minutes ago. Our son is a friggin genius, Liv! He gets it from his daddy's side."

Olivia put a hand in front of her husband's face. "It's too early to hear stories about amazing Grant men. Besides, his mother is pretty damned smart too. You are the smartest boy in the world, Lincoln. Yes, you are." Lincoln just looked at his mother in complete wonder. He reached his chubby fingers out to touch her face. "He's getting so big so fast, Fitz."

"Let's have another one then." Fitz replied with a smile.

"We can't have another baby. Lincoln is still a baby himself. He's not even six months old yet."

"You know the best way to settle this?" Fitz asked.

Olivia eyed him skeptically. "How?"

Fitz took Lincoln out of Olivia's arms and pecked her lips. "Think about it while you make me pancakes."

Remembering what she had promised last night, Olivia groaned. "You're not really gonna hold me to that are you? I was exhausted. I would have promised you sex if it meant you put on my pajamas." She whined.

"But you didn't promise me sex. You promised me pancakes." He took Lincoln out of Olivia's arms and said, "We'll keep ourselves entertained while you cook. Right, Link?"

"Aww come on, Fitz." She tried pouting, knowing it was his weakness.

Fitz held Lincoln's wrist and used it to make a waving motion to Olivia. "Buh bye."

Olivia stood up and said, "Just so you know, I hate you."

"No ya don't." Fitz said with humor in his voice. "You love me and can't live without me."

Olivia's cell phone rang and she went to get it. Noticing that it was Abby, she said, "Hey Abby. How are you doing this morning? No, I haven't heard anything. He did? For what? That's great news. No, I'm glad you called to tell me. Thank you, Abs. I'll tell him. Bye."

Fitz appeared in the kitchen with Lincoln in his arms. "What was that all about?"

"Aaron was taken to the ER last night. He has a broken rib and bruises pretty much everywhere, but nothing life threatening. He was arrested after the doctor checked him out and released him. He's being charged with assault and battery. He has admitted to everything he did to both of us."

"And he's been fired, right?"

"Most definitely."

"Are you okay with all of that?" Fitz asked, putting his arm around her.

"It's more than I thought would happen." She said. "I just want to put it all behind us and move forward."

"When you're ready to talk about it, I'm here, Liv. And you need to talk about it sooner or later to really put it behind you. If that means going to a professional then we will do that. If it means talking it out with each other, we'll do that. But it's unhealthy to avoid it and hope it just goes away."

"I know. And I agree completely. I want to talk it over with you, I just don't want to do it today. Maybe we can take the day off work on Monday and go somewhere quiet and just talk it all out? My mom can watch Lincoln like she always does, but it won't be for the entire day. Today is for pancakes and enjoying a happy normal Saturday with our brilliant little man. Does that sound okay?" She asked, sticking her pursed lips up toward his face.

He leaned down and kissed her mouth. "That sounds perfect."


	21. Getting It All Out

I am not a therapist nor have I ever been to one. This chapter is all just my imagination. Please bear that in mind.

Getting It All Out

On Monday morning Lila showed up at the Grant home just like she had been doing for months now. She got herself a cup of coffee, settled down on the couch, and turned on the television to wait for Lincoln to wake up, just like she had been doing for months now. The house was quiet without the sounds of Lincoln's babbling and laughter to fill it up, and instead of enjoying the silence, Lila hated it. There was tension in the air of the Grant home and while everyone most definitely felt it, no one spoke about it.

Her daughter and son in law had just come into the kitchen and silently each got a cup of coffee of their own to sip on while heading to wherever they were going to spend a few hours together. Lila knew they needed this time to talk with each other about the ugliness that they both had just been through with the ugly man who had put his hands on her daughter. Lila also knew doing so would strengthen their marriage and bring them even closer to each other. Lila was proud of the way Olivia and Fitz handled things that came their way and knew this was no exception. She expected the tension to be gone when they returned.

Olivia sat down on the couch beside her mother and put her head on her momma's shoulder. "We're going to drive to one of the marinas to talk. Fitz wanted to go to the beach, because he knew it was the one place that relaxed me more than any other. But I didn't want to bring that asshole to my happy place. So, he suggested the marina instead. It's still the water."

Lila looked over at Fitz, who was sitting at the table, trying not to eavesdrop on their conversation. He winked at his mother in law. "Fitz is a smart man, Liv. He knows the best way to take care of you." She gently nudged her daughter's head and Olivia looked at her. Lila smiled kindly at her and put her hands on her daughter's cheeks. "You need to talk to each other and get all of this behind you. Tell him everything. How you felt, what you thought, what was said. Everything."

Olivia nodded silently.

"And you listen to him when he talks. He needs to get things off his chest too, baby. He felt things, thought things, and heard things too. He needs to be heard. It's not going to be easy for you to say the things you need to say, and it's not going to be easy to hear the things he needs to say. But it will make the both of you stronger. Stronger than you already are. It will also help you both to heal, and I know you both want that more than anything. You need to be able to get back to living the life you had before all of this happened. I want that for you and Fitz. And Lincoln. Do you understand?"

Olivia hadn't even left the house yet and she already felt like bawling. This was going to be an emotional day, but also a necessary one. "It does. Thank you, momma. We'll have our phones with us if you need anything at all." She hugged her mother and stood up, joining her husband at the door before walking outside to leave.

They made it to the marina after fighting through congested morning traffic. They both voiced their thanks for not having to go to work, but otherwise, the conversation was light in the car. Both Fitz and Olivia were both lost in their own thoughts about the conversation they were about to have. How do you attempt to start to talk about what they had been through? Who would start things off? And would sitting by the water with each other, discussing your feelings really be enough to put an end to it? Neither one of them knew, but they wanted to try, and that was a great starting point.

Fitz paid the attendant and parked the car. The lot was still very empty so they had their choice of spaces. He got out and walked around to the passenger side of the car and opened the door for his wife. Olivia stepped out and Fitz extended his hand to her, which she willingly took. It was still a little brisk outside, but the weatherman promised a beautiful early summer day and each silently hoped the sun would provide a warm reception of words.

Before they started to make their way down to the water, Fitz pulled Olivia into his arms and just held her tightly. She laid her cheek against his chest and took a deep breath in and out. He felt strong and warm and simply hers. It steadied her and Olivia held him even tighter.

Fitz closed his eyes and just enjoyed this feeling of oneness with her. Eventually he pulled away from the tight embrace, but kept his arms around her and gave Olivia a smile. "We're in this together. And we're going to get through this together. There is nothing you can't say to me or tell me. I love you and you mean more to me than anything in this world. I want you to feel safe and more importantly, I don't want you to live in fear. He doesn't get to take that away from you. No one does. Okay?"

Olivia smiled at up at the treasure of a man she got to call her husband. He truly was one in a million and she loved him more deeply and in so many more ways than she even fathomed a person could love another. "Okay. But the same goes for you. I know there are things about this whole nightmare that you need to get off your chest too. And I want you to be able to say whatever you need to me about it. We'll probably yell some and cry some, but like you said, we're in it together and we'll get through it together. And I just want to put it behind us after today if it feels resolved when we're done talking. And if it doesn't feel that way, then I want to talk to someone who can help us get to that point. Someone professional. But I've got to be able to go back into my office sooner or later and not be freaked out by what went on in there. Or walk the halls and not wonder if I'm going to see his face pop around the corner. You know what I mean? I don't know if us talking about it will accomplish that, but I want to try."

"Then let's go try." He took her hand again and led her down toward the water.

Fitz sat down and Olivia sat in front of him, leaning against his chest. They watched the bright orange yellow glow from the sun play on the surface of the dark blue water for a while in silence. Fitz could practically hear his wife thinking out loud, but he wanted to give her space and time to get her thoughts together. They had all the time in the world and he wasn't going to rush a single moment.

Finally, she admitted, "I don't really know how to start talking about it."

Fitz shrugged. "Just say whatever's on your mind."

"I didn't know he was anything more than an asshole. I mean, the first time I met him –and I'm going to refer to him as him because I'm not saying his name –but the first time I met him, I interrupted Abby and Yvonne ogling him from behind my couch. They thought he was handsome and I agreed that he was."

Fitz stiffened some, but remained quiet.

"But he kept calling me Miss instead of Mrs. almost every single time we spoke. It was really annoying. Like he was doing it on purpose." Olivia thought about that for a moment and realized it was true. "Anyway, he was very confident in himself too. I know most lawyers are like that and that's basically what I brushed it off as at first."

"Did you join them in the ogling?" Fitz asked quietly.

"What? No! It wasn't like that. It was more like, yea he's handsome, but so what? I remember telling them that someone was going to come along and knock him down a peg or two. Something like that. His ego was off the charts."

Fitz knew he shouldn't, but he was actually glad that he was the one to knock the asshole- and that is what he was going to refer to him as – down a peg or two. "Okay, so what is the next encounter you remember having with him?"

"We had a meeting scheduled with the team for that morning and he walked up to the door just before Yvonne and I got there. He held the door for us. For some reason that annoyed me, but I was pleasant. And then he did it again."

"Did what?"

"He called me Miss Grant, and this time I know he did it on purpose!" Olivia's voice was getting louder and she stopped to take a breath while Fitz rubbed her shoulders.

"Did you do anything? Say anything to him?" He felt her relax some and it settled him as well.

"Yea. I corrected him again. I told him if it was so hard to remember that he could call me Olivia." She shuddered and it had nothing to do with the cool morning temperature. "That made it even worse."

"How is a man calling you by your first name worse than calling you by the wrong surname?"

"It was the way he said it. He made it sound personal. Like...I had just given him permission to watch me take a bath or something. It felt...dirty somehow." Olivia felt Fitz stiffen again. She wished she could spare him the things that she was sharing, but knew going through it step by step, like he was apparently leading her, was the best way to remember it. "I can't really explain it better than that."

"I see what you mean. Did he behave himself while you were all in the conference room? He probably had to, right? Too many people there to pull anything?" Surely the asshole wasn't that bold?

"He asked me when I would need him to assist me in court and when I said I would let him know, he said he was at my complete disposal. Fucking weirdo! I reminded him that we were a team and we all worked together."

"And that was the end of that?" Fitz asked.

"No."

"What could he have done in front of your team?" Fitz sat up and Olivia turned to look at him.

"He waited until everyone left the room."

"I don't understand why I am hearing all of this for the first time, Liv? You told me that night that he was an asshole who was hitting on you without actually hitting on you. What you just described is not typical asshole behavior. It's fucking stalker-ish." Fitz knew his voice was getting louder but he couldn't hide his frustration at the news.

"We worked in the same building, for the same firm, Fitz. How is it stalker-ish if he spoke to me while on the job? That makes no sense! And it's certainly nothing out of the ordinary."

"It makes no sense to me that this asshole wasn't shut down on day one when he started giving you creepy vibes by someone like me...or...Stephen!" He pushed to his feet and started pacing. "You felt something off about him right from the beginning, and while I'm not judging you, I'm just asking why didn't you talk to someone about it?"

"I DID!" She yelled. "If you would let me finish without screaming at me, that would be helpful."

"I'm sorry. I just fucking hate knowing that it got to the point where he put his hands on you! I'm not blaming you. I'm blaming myself." Fitz took a deep breath and calmed down some. "I'm sorry. I'll try to be more patient. So, what did this dickhead do or say next?"

Olivia sighed loudly. "He invited me to lunch. He said he wanted to discuss the case more in depth or something like that, but we literally just talked through the entire case with the whole team, so I declined. I also told him that I work through lunch when I can so I can go home to my family. I hoped he would get the picture." Olivia tried to recall if anything during that exchange was suggestive or could easily be misunderstood by Aaron. Nothing came to mind. "I was very clear with him from the beginning that I was not interested, that I was married, and that I wasn't going to put up with him acting inappropriately. I honestly can't think of anything he could have taken the wrong way."

"I have no doubts that you were crystal clear with him, Liv. He had his own thoughts and ideas though and apparently wasn't going to be deterred from them." He looked into her troubled brown eyes and said, "You didn't do anything wrong. Get that idea out of your mind and stop asking yourself if you did. It was all him. You have to know that."

"I never felt like I said anything misleading or acted unprofessionally with him. But it definitely has me re- thinking everything I said or did in his presence. It's very unnerving. But at the same time, I want to be absolutely sure that my conscience is clear." Olivia hated that she had to second guess herself, but a small part of her thought it was probably a good thing to do every so often, to keep herself from getting too comfortable. Just like he had been accused of.

"I remember you leaving early the next morning. You had to go to the police station to talk to the investigating officer about something to do with the case. And asshole was going to meet you there. Tell me about that." Fitz was trying to be encouraging, without accusing. He supported his wife one hundred percent and knew that his leading her through the events that took place might sound accusatory, but it was the opposite. He wanted her to think it through step by step to feel more confident in how she handled it so that the niggling thoughts of what if wouldn't linger in her mind. He hoped she understood what he was doing.

Olivia stood up and walked toward the water, taking her time to gather her thoughts. "We got some great news for the case and he seemed perfectly normal. No weird innuendos, no snide comments, nothing. I asked him if he wanted to grab some breakfast and we stopped at McDonalds." She turned to look at her husband and added, "I wanted to go to the bakery, but it was too early and I knew you wouldn't be there yet. Anyway, it was very" She shrugged. "Normal. He saw the picture of Lincoln on my credit card as I paid, I told him how you and I met, we talked about how he never wanted kids. It was a very normal conversation I would have with anyone at the office. And for the record, I spoke about you and Lincoln a lot. I was not interested in him. I wasn't acting like a single woman in any way. He knew I was happily married and had a baby and that I loved my family. I was clear on that, Fitz!"

He went to her and ran his hands up and down her arms. "Babe, I don't doubt that you did. I have zero doubts about you having feelings for him or that you lead him on somehow. No. I'm here to help and to listen so we can move forward. We can't do that until we've dealt with what's behind us. So, stop. You don't have to reiterate to me that you didn't send out signals to him. I was more jealous of an imaginary Alexander than I ever was this asshole." He dipped his head to her eye level and gave her a small smile.

"Okay. So, when we got back to the office Yvonne and Abby were in mine and they were pissy because I had ruined their morning routine of checking him out."

Fitz chuckled and shook his head. "I love those crazy women."

"Yea. Anyway, that was when I told them that something seemed off about him. We talked about it and they seemed to listen to me and took what I said to heart. They said they would keep an eye out for me when he was around. They seemed to be concerned because I was concerned. We were on the same page about him. And then he was in my door and the shit hit the fan."

"What do you mean? Is that when Abby let him have it?"

"Oh yea. And it wasn't pretty. She set him straight and left no room for wondering what she meant."

"I've always appreciated that about Abby. She's a straight shooter. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall at that moment."

"She told him that he needed to stop being casual about our names. We were to be called Mr. or Mrs. That the office wasn't a place to be so friendly around other employees or the partners. He was pissed off and embarrassed and apologized, but it was obvious that he was seething under it. If I'm honest, Abby should have addressed those things with him alone, not in front of us. It wasn't dealt with very professionally. But I know she was trying to make a point or an example of him. Maybe she just wanted me to know that she had taken care of the situation? I don't know. After he left, that's when I called you to let you know I'd be running late."

She immediately got quiet and Fitz knew why. He put his finger under her chin and lifted her gaze to his. "Do not shut me out now, Olivia. This is the hard part. Don't crawl inside of yourself like you probably really want to do. Stay with me and talk it out." She looked into his crystal clear blue eyes and nodded before walking away from him.

The brisk morning had warmed up considerably by now and Olivia shed her jacket, throwing it on a bench nearby. She needed a minute to calm down. And she really didn't want to be touched while they discussed the rest of it. She took a nervous deep breath in and let it out. She described the rest in a monotone voice. "We went into the conference room because Stephen had good news about the case. He sat well away from me but kept shooting me angry looks from across the room. We had secured a new witness and it was looking like this case would be a win. Everyone was excited. When the meeting broke up, lots of hugs and handshakes were given by almost everyone. It was all very normal feeling to me. We had reacted like that to great news for a case a million times before and it was never misconstrued."

Olivia crossed her arms in front of her chest and stood there gazing at the water trying to make sense of it all. Nothing made sense about it. "I can see where he got mixed messages."

"Liv..." Fitz began.

"No, I can." She turned around to look at him. "One minute Abby berates him for being too casual at the office, and the next minute we are all hugging each other like old friends. It sends a mixed message and someone who is new to the firm would definitely be confused by that. I'm not saying he was right. I'm saying I can see where the uncertainty on his part could have been felt."

"Olivia, you are a partner of that firm. You have every right to act the way you always have in the past with the other partners. They are your friends away from work too. He was new and he stepped over a line. There is nothing wrong with him being called out for his behavior. It's normal office practices. I am not going to let you excuse the way he acted because that asshole saw everyone acting the same way he was talked to for acting. That's not on you."

"I know it's not on me. But it does send a mixed message, doesn't it? It says we can do what we like, but you'd better get in line and do what's expected. We should act like co-workers when we are at work, and friends when we are away from the office. I think it should be addressed in front of everyone at work."

"That's probably a good idea. I'm sure that there will be a lot of things discussed at your office with all of the staff after the news of this incident makes its way around." Fitz wanted to keep them on track and veered the conversation back to the topic at hand. "What happened after the meeting broke up?"

"He said he wanted to talk to me. That he had questions only I could answer. So, I told him we could talk on the way to my office and finish it on the way to our cars as we left for the day. I had no idea."

"That sneaky bastard!" It was Fitz's turn to walk away. He bent down and picked up a few rocks and threw them as far as he could into the water. He knew what was coming and he really didn't want to hear it. He needed to, but he wasn't looking forward to it at all. And he knew Olivia wasn't looking forward to speaking it out loud either. Knowing this man, this...asshole, had used his wife's helpful nature to get her alone so he could hurt her, was almost more than Fitz could process. Still, he was just a bystander. Olivia was the one who went through it. It would be harder on her than him by far.

When the rocks were gone, and he felt somewhat calmer, Fitz turned to face Olivia. He could see the fear on her facial features and went to where she stood. He held his arms open and she went into them without hesitation. They both felt better for it. "So you went into your office. Then what happened?"

"I noticed that he was intentionally blocking my door, so I made up an excuse to leave my office. But he didn't buy it and wouldn't budge." She felt Fitz tighten his grip on her and it made her feel safer as she recalled every single thing as her stomach twisted. "He wanted to know why I called him by his first name but Abby had chewed him out for doing the very same thing. I told him to talk to Abby since she had been the one who addressed it with him."

"That seems reasonable. What did he say?" Fitz asked.

Olivia's voice was barely a whisper. "He yelled at me. He screamed 'I'm asking you!' It rattled me so I told him that the reason I called him by his first name was because no one else was around. If other employees had been around, I would have addressed him as Mr. Huggins." She picked her head up off of his chest and said, "It was like he was back to being the normal version of himself. He politely said thank you. It was very strange. Then I tried to leave again, but he said he had another question for me."

"Which was?"

"He wanted to know why I called Stephen by his first name in front of everyone in the conference room?"

"Jesus! Why was he so twisted up in names and titles? I already hate his nit picking over it and I wasn't even there! I think you're right by the way. I think that is something that should be addressed with everyone at the office. If it was this easy for him to get bent out of shape over, it could happen again."

"Exactly!" Olivia tried to pull out of his arms, but he wasn't ready for the separation. "He took a step towards me. I apologized for the way it looked and he asked me if the rules applied to me? And then he suggested that we finish the conversation on our way to our cars. I really thought I would walk out the door, run for my car, and go home. He kept going between being super mad to apologetic. He...wanted to talk about the case. Out of the blue. He wanted to talk about the case again. I told him I was going home and he said I owed it to him. That's when he grabbed my arm."

"And that's when I got there. I was beyond pissed off that this...guy had his hand on you!" Fitz spat out angrily.

Olivia looked up at him with a confused face. "You know, you never told me why you came by the office? I'm beyond relieved that you did, but why were you there?"

Fitz smiled at her and leaned down to rest his forehead on hers. "You sounded exhausted on the phone when you called me. I thought I would bring you some dinner and we could have a picnic in your office. It turns out that ants aren't the peskiest things at a picnic."

"Did you just make a joke in the middle of my story?" She asked.

"I'm sorry." Fitz said.

"It's okay. I was done. You were there for the rest of it. It was scary, you know? It was almost like I was dealing with two different people and I didn't know which one I was going to be dealing with at any given moment. I think that was the scariest thing. Obviously, aside from being alone with him in the building. He did a number on my head, turning on the charm at times and screaming at me at other times."

"As much as I hated to hear you re-live those moments by telling me, you didn't break down when you told it. You weren't cold, you were affected by simply telling me everything, but you handled it perfectly. You answered his questions, you didn't bait him into anger further, and you tried to stay calm yourself through the entire thing. I'm pretty damned proud of you, Liv and you should be proud of you too."

"I'm pretty proud of you for taking care of me and keeping me safe. It could have been so much worse if you hadn't shown up and I..."

Fitz put his index finger on her lips to keep her quiet. "We aren't going to talk about what could have been. The facts are bad enough without us adding more scary shit to them."

"You're right about that. You haven't really shared too much about what you're thinking. Do you have anything you'd like to say?" Olivia took his hand and led him to sit down on a bench facing the water.

"Of course I do. I want you to pay better attention when something or someone gives you creepy vibes. Or any kind of an off feeling. It's more than female intuition, but it's there for a reason and part of the reason is to keep you safe. You need to make sure Yvonne is in your office at all times when you are with a client or co-worker that you don't know very very well. Anyone new, and she'd better be sitting on your lap the whole fucking time or I will come down there and cause a scene that will embarrass everyone! That's not a threat, Liv. It's a promise.

I know you are a big girl and can take care of yourself. I unequivocally trust that you are able to do that. But you need to be more aware of your surroundings when you're at work. Not fear stricken, but aware. Don't be the last one to leave at the end of the day, unless it's an emergency. And if it has to happen, make sure someone stays with you.

And last but not least, you need to remember that we don't keep things from each other. You gave me very little information about this asshole, and because of that, I didn't worry about him. You should have shared everything with me, from the beginning. I'm not blaming you in the least. But I don't expect this to happen again." He led her to a bench and held her hand. "We tell each other everything. And it hurts that you didn't tell me about his past behavior until today. You should have."

Tears finally started to fall down Olivia's face and she couldn't look Fitz in the eye. But she nodded her head in agreement with what he had just said. Looking down at her lap, she said. "You're right. I should have told you. I just assumed I could handle it myself. I never dreamed it would end up being this big of a situation." She wiped her eyes and slowly raised her head so her eyes could connect with his. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner. But it won't happen again. I love you too much to let anything or anyone have any wiggle room between us."

Fitz pulled her onto his lap and held her tight as her arms went around his neck and she cried into it. "That's my girl. I love you, Liv."

She cried for a while as Fitz held her and the sun warmed them. When she was all out of tears, she wiped her face and looked up at him. He was sitting there, looking at her with all the love he had for her shining in his beautiful blue eyes. He was her strength. And while he had voiced his concerns about her keeping important things from him, things that she thought at the time were insignificant, she knew that he was her biggest champion. He really was her hero. She couldn't imagine going through life with anyone but him.

Fitz watched his wife wipe her eyes and sit up to look at him. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying. Her perfectly applied make-up was smeared on her flawless face. He pushed a strand of hair back away from her cheek and tucked it behind her ear and gazed into her eyes. She was so much stronger than she realized. She had been through an ordeal and came out on the other side of it clinging to him, as well as a better grasp of who she was as a person. He was so proud of his wife. He smiled at her, cupped her cheek, and asked, "How are you feeling?"

Olivia leaned her face into his palm and replied, "So much better. I'm really glad we talked about this together. I never want that to change. It's going to take some time for me to be completely comfortable in my office again, but I feel better in myself. And I feel better for being able to share all of it with you without being made to feel reckless or naive. You're good for me."

"Are you saying you plan on keeping me around?" He teased.

She shrugged noncommittally. "I guess so. Who else am I gonna turn to when I want another beautiful baby?"

His eyebrows went up to the sky. "Oh? And when do you think you would want another ridiculously beautiful Grant baby?"

"Soon. Really soon." Olivia smiled as she watched the one on his face grow wider in surprise. "I think I should get pregnant this summer so I don't have to go through another summer pregnancy. It would mean that you would have to be at the top of your game since summer is about to start. What do you think about that?"

"Babe." He said tightening his grip of the beautiful woman sitting on his lap who never failed to surprise him. "I will get you pregnant by the end of the week if that's what you want." She giggled and he kissed her lips.

"That's what I want, Mr. Grant."

Fitz stood up with her still in his arms. "Then let's go make a baby, Mrs. Grant."


	22. A Helping Hand

_I failed to give a HUGE thank you to Denise Haughton for her invaluable help in the previous chapter. Her input and guidance was most appreciated. Her friendship and support mean a lot to me._

"Fitz!" Olivia said gently. It was the fourth time she had tried waking him up, unsuccessfully. Lincoln was laying in his co-sleeper, red faced and mad at the world. Olivia wondered how her husband was sleeping through all this noise?! She shook him and called his name louder. "Fitz! Wake up!"

"Wassumatter?" He mumbled with his head still on the pillow and his eyes still closed.

"Really? You can't hear your son screaming his head off?" She asked sarcastically.

"I couldn't before you woke me up, but I can now." He said sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "What's the matter with my boy? Did you pinch him?"

"No, I did not pinch him. But I'm going to pinch you if you don't get your ass out of bed and help me calm him down! This is the third night he's done this and I need some sleep too!"

Fitz picked up his very upset son and asked him, "What's wrong, Link? What do you possibly have to be mad about again tonight?" Lincoln stopped crying and put part of his hand in his mouth. "What is it, buddy? How long has been crying?"

"For the past two hours," Liv said crawling into bed. "You can do the next two hours. I'm beyond tired. He'll need a bottle sooner or later." She mumbled.

Fitz stood up and made his way out of their bedroom with Lincoln in tow. "She's helpful, huh?" He carried his son into the kitchen and looked at the time. "Buddy! You gotta go back to sleeping all night. It's 3:45 in the a.m."

He sat down on the sofa with Lincoln on his lap and started asking questions of his son. "What's the matter? Do you have a belly ache?" Fitz touched Lincoln's stomach. It didn't feel rigid like it sometimes did when he didn't burp good enough.

"Are you getting sick?" Fitz felt his forehead. No fever.

"What the hell else could make you so cranky..." He looked around before continuing in a whisper, "...like your mother?" Lincoln started whining and stuffed his hand into his mouth as the drool ran down his little fist. Fitz watched his son carefully chewing on his hand. He tried to think back to when the ladybugs started cutting teeth, but couldn't remember.

He looked at Lincoln and Lincoln looked at his daddy. Fitz cocked his head to the side and asked, "Are you cutting teeth, son? You're too little to be doing that. That's big boy stuff." He watched Lincoln gnaw on his little hand for a few more minutes and said, "No. You're not allowed to cut teeth just yet. That's bullshit!"

Lincoln continued to chew on his fist.

"Daddy said no, Link! Please don't do this to me." Lincoln grinned around his hand. "Can daddy look in your mouth to see if there's anything in there? Huh?"

Fitz pulled out his son's slobber covered fist and peeled back his upper lip to take a look. Just pink gums. No bumps or white teeth poking out at him. Fitz pulled Lincoln's lower lip down and looked. There was a white little bud trying to poke through his gum. As soon as Fitz let go of his son's lip, Lincoln put his little plump fist back into his mouth. "Holy shit, Link! You're becoming a man! This is awesome!"

Fitz hugged Lincoln close to his chest while the baby happily kept chewing. "Look, mommy obviously doesn't know about any of this. So, we're not gonna tell her. We're gonna let her figure it out all by herself and we are going to act surprised."

Lincoln cooed.

"Why? Because she's the mommy and mommies need to be there for all their babies first things. She needed a minute when you rolled over for the first time without her. This is way bigger than that. Don't be surprised if she tries to spend the night with you when we move you into college. She's gonna be that mom. So, let's keep this tooth thing between us. Tell no one!"

He stood up and went into the kitchen. Not knowing what exactly he was looking for, Fitz opened a drawer and pulled out a tea towel. Hoisting Lincoln into his left arm, Fitz ran the small towel under cold water and wrung it out as best he could. He went back into the living room, sat back down on the sofa, and handed Lincoln the towel.

Lincoln knew exactly what to do and brought the wet cold towel into his mouth. "You're a Grant, and as such you instinctively knew what to do. You are going to carry on the family legacy with pride." Fitz sighed happily and settled back, watching his son. Lincoln was no longer crying, but was content with using the towel as relief for his hurting gums. "Daddy is a genius too, Link. Can you say da da? Say da da." Lincoln just grinned at his father and continued clamping his mouth on the wet towel.

Thirty minutes later, Lincoln was no longer content with the tea towel. He started fussing again and was also rubbing his eyes. "Getting sleepy now, bud? Let's fix you a bottle and see if that does the trick?"

Lincoln Nathaniel Thomas Grant was out before he ever saw the bottom of the bottle.

Fitz laid him down in his crib and pulled a light blanket over his lower half. He patted his back for a few moments to ensure his boy stayed asleep. Fitz stopped patting and pulled his hand to hovering just above his son's back, in case he started squirming. When Lincoln never did, Fitz stepped back and raised a fist into the air, Breakfast Club style. Then he went and got into his own bed. Olivia immediately gravitated towards her husband's body. He froze, and then hesitantly started patting her back the same as he had just done to Lincoln, in hopes that she wouldn't ask any questions. She never stirred and he decided he would remember the back patting thing for his wife too.

The next morning, Olivia was running around the house getting ready for work while Lincoln slept later than usual. She looked at her watch and then to Fitz and said, "He's really out this morning. What did the two of you do last night?"

Fitz was pulling a polo over his head, and felt his wife's hand touch his chest before she went to put on her shoes. "We just talked. He a very good conversationalist."

She stopped in her tracks and squinted her eyes at him. "Did he say his first word last night? You'd better tell me if he did."

Fitz chuckled and pulled her into his arms. "No, he did not say his first word. But we worked on dada some. He was more interested in smiling at me."

"He was screaming his cute little head off. How did you get him to stop crying and actually smile?" Olivia wiggled out of his grip and picked up her necklace, looping it around her neck.

Fitz silently scolded himself, knowing he had given her way too much information. Thinking fast, he said, "He just wanted me to walk the floor with him."

"But I tried that. He wasn't interested at all." She remarked.

"Well, Liv, you just need to admit that you don't have the magic touch that I have. Apparently, he has chosen his favorite parent. And it's not you." Fitz gave her a sympathetic look and she threw a slipper at him. He didn't bother ducking but it didn't hurt.

"That's hateful. Take it back!" Olivia started making her way toward her husband.

"Nah, I don't think I will. Besides, what are you gonna do about it? You're just little." He joked.

"I maybe be little, but I'm the only one who can give you more adorable babies."

"You're technically not the only one." He said grinning.

"Fitzgerald! How are you going to enjoy your other kids if you're dead?" She said as she raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips.

"Good point. You're the only one who can give me adorable babies." He relented. "I guess Link just wanted some guy time."

"Fine! But if he wants more guy time tonight, I'll be waking you up again." She smirked at him and left the room to check on her son as Fitz groaned loudly.

Lincoln was laying on his belly and looked up at his mommy and grinned when he saw her come into his room. "Hey little man!" Olivia sang as she walked closer to the crib. "How's my big boy this morning?"

Olivia picked him up and held him close, loving this time with him in the morning. He usually wasn't much of a morning person, and Olivia knew he got that from her. But this morning he was in a good mood and she enjoyed warm happy morning cuddles from Lincoln. "You slept late this morning, lazy bones. What did you and daddy do last night that conked you out this late?"

Lincoln just grinned at his mother and tried to grab her hair.

"I guess it would be breaking some kind of guy code if you told me huh?"

Fitz, who was walking towards the front door, stopped by the nursery to hear his wife questioning their son. He put his hands on the top of the door frame, grinned at her inquisitiveness, and said, "Tell her nothing, Link!"

Olivia looked over at her annoying husband and was about to say something sarcastic to him when her eyes took over her body and roamed his hungrily. A tiny patch of hair covered skin was poking out from the bottom of his polo. Olivia knew that his happy trail was looking right at her. She might have licked her lips. She wasn't sure. How did he look that sexy just standing there? God, she hated him for that. And also wanted him in the worst way.

Fitz caught on to the lusty gazes his wife was sending his way and a grin slowly made its way across his face. "Do you see something you want, Mrs. Grant?" He teased. When she didn't respond, but kept staring at him, Fitz went into the room and put Lincoln back into his crib. Fitz explained to his son, "I just need a minute with your mommy. Cover your eyes."

He pulled his wife into his arms and attacked her mouth. Her delirious moan was all the proof he needed. She was hot for him. Olivia wound her fingers into the hair on the back of his head and held on tightly. It probably should have hurt some. Fitz took it as added encouragement and began kneading her ass. He heard her mumble "want you so bad" and picked her up to take her into their bedroom to have his way with her.

He got as far as one step from the nursery door, when he heard the front door open and his own mother yell, "It's just me, dears." Nothing could have turned him off more at the moment.

Olivia quickly pulled away from him and scrambled to her feet, straightening her dress. When she was sure everything was in place as it should be, she looked at her husband and pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. His beautiful curls were sticking out in every direction. He had red lipstick smeared all over his face. And he was breathing hard like he had just run a marathon. She reached a hand out to wipe off his face, when Emma appeared in the doorway.

"Good mo..." Her gaze went from Fitz to Olivia and then back again. She smiled kindly and said, "I'm going to go heat up a bottle for Lincoln." She practically ran to the living room.

Fitz laughed while Olivia looked at him in horror. She pointed a finger at him and said, "Shut up! Your mother will know what almost happened!"

Once again, Fitz put his arms around his wife, as she tried unsuccessfully to wiggle out of them. He leaned close to her and said, "My mother knows we have sex, Liv. It's why she comes over here practically every single day of the week." He chuckled as he watched as his wife covered her face with one hand and lay her head on his chest in embarrassment. "I've got to go to work. Will you be alright?"

She picked her head up off of his chest, took a step backwards, and shot him a look. "Why wouldn't I be alright?"

He cocked his head to the side and gave her a knowing smile. "Because two minutes ago you were undressing me with your eyes and practically begging for it."

Fitz started walking her way and she continued backing away from him, her eyes locked on his, hating him for being right. She stopped when her body bumped against a wall.

He put his large palms on the wall on either side of her body, caging her in. He leaned close to her, pressing his body against hers but didn't touch her with his hands. Fitz dipped his head into her neck, and pressed his lips against the column of it. When he felt Olivia lean her head away from him, giving him better access to her neck, he whispered, "I know you and I know how to read you. So. Will you be alright?"

A small groan escaped her lips and Fitz grinned to himself. He wanted nothing more than to tell his mother to go home, put Lincoln into his bed for a nap, and put his wife into their bed for some mutual satisfaction. He sighed with all the frustration of knowing that wasn't going to happen right now, but pressed his pelvis suggestively against hers. Lincoln began whining from his crib. Fitz looked into his wife's eyes and said, "We WILL pick this back up later tonight!" He pecked her lips and was more than pleased when she tried to hang onto his lips, prolonging the kiss. "Try to have a good day, babe. I love you." He picked Lincoln up out of his crib and carried him into the living room saying "Mommy needs a minute." Olivia was left still against the wall, breathing hard. She took solace in knowing his day wasn't going to be much better than hers.

Later that evening, Fitz walked into the house utterly exhausted. The bakery had made a wedding and groomsman cake, several birthday cakes, and he was already in the planning stages of the annual July Fourth cupcake decoration station for kids. It had been a crazy busy day and he was looking forward to taking a hot shower and spending some time with his favorite two people before they all went to bed later.

He trudged into the bedroom he shared with his wife and sat down on the edge of the bed and began taking off his shoes in between loud yawns.

"That had better not be yawning I hear!" Olivia called out.

Fitz looked at the bathroom door and made his way to it, knocking once before entering without an invitation. His wife had her hair up, and was leaning back, soaking in a tub full of bubbles. He reached his hands up to the top of the doorframe, just like he had earlier that morning and asked, "What are you gonna do about it?"

Olivia's eyebrows went up at his tone and challenging words. "Does the phrase 'we will pick this up later tonight' ring any bells?"

Fitz knit his brow and looked up at the ceiling, as if the answer to her question was up there. "Should it? I say that all the time to a lot of different people. Can you please be more specific?"

"That's okay. I'm sure it was nothing special. Like you said, you say it all the time. I can't even remember what it was in reference to myself now that I think about it. I'll be out in a minute and you can take your shower." Olivia knew he was playing with her. She gave as good as she got. She sent him a pleasant smile.

"Where is Link?"

"Oh, early night for him. He was super cranky. I can't figure out what is making him so crabby lately? Anyways, he probably won't be up for hours." She hoped he was understanding what she was saying.

"Alright. I'm going to go catch the news. Holler at me when you're done in here. I need a shower as soon as you're done playing in the bubbles. Bye." He waved and went into the living room. He knew exactly what she was playing at. She wanted sex! Fitz was completely exhausted, but was never too tired for sex  
with Liv. Now that they had decided to try to get pregnant again, he was more than up to the task. If he could get her cute little ass out of the damn tub, they could get things started. He hated the news, but turned it on because he said he was going to go watch it. He went to check on Link first though.

Twenty mind numbing minutes later, he finally heard Olivia rustling around in their bedroom. He turned the television off and went back to get into the shower. She had her back to him, but Fitz watched her slip an old cotton nightgown over her head. His face scrunched up in response to the ugly thing she chose to wear to bed. But he had seen her bare ass before she put it on. She was playing hard to get. Two could play that game.

"I like that nightgown. It reminds me of something my mother wears. I'll be out in a minute." He walked into the bathroom grinning like a fool.

Olivia turned her head towards the bathroom door before he shut it and silently threw up her middle finger at him with an angry expression he couldn't see. She wondered what to do until he came out? She went and peeked on Lincoln and saw that he was sleeping like an angel. She hated that he was so unhappy lately and wished she knew what was causing it. Maybe she'd take him to the pediatrician one day this week?

Meanwhile, in the shower, Fitz was happily singing something he had heard on the radio at work. It was one of those songs that you can't get out of your mind no matter how hard you try. Giving in to it, he sang the whole song. By the time his one man show was over, he was all clean. He threw his dirty clothes and towel into the hamper, because no husband ever gets laid if they leave dirty clothes all over the floor, and pulled on a simple pair of black boxer briefs. He brushed his teeth, ran a hand through his curls, and...was inspired.

He grinned wickedly and squatted down, opening the cabinet doors under the sink. There was some random stuff down there – a box of tampons, several towels, some lotion, and some other crap he didn't think he'd ever seen before. But then he found the one item he needed. He quietly set it on the counter and then slid the towels out of the way from where the bottom of the sink was. Damn he was a genius!

Fitz opened the bathroom door with the wrench in his hand and looked around the bedroom wildly. "Hey! You have a serious problem in here, Miss."

Olivia looked up from her phone, where she was settled in their bed and said, "What?"

"I said you have a serious problem in here!" He gave her an are-you-listening-to-me look.

"What the hell are you talking about? And why the hell are you calling me Miss? Stop being such a weirdo."

"Look, if you want water all over your floor, fine. Who am I to tell you how to live?"

"What are you talking about? Water on my floor? Did you leave the shower curtain cracked open while you were giving your free concert in there? You'd better clean it up, cause I'm not doing it!" She looked back down at her phone.

"That's what I'm trying to tell you! I need something to clean up the water. It's spraying out pretty good in here. You might want to come take a look?"

"Use the towel you took your shower with. I'm not coming in there to look at the mess you made. You probably left your clothes all over the floor too, huh?" She never even looked up at him as she spoke.

Fitz was getting frustrated. She was not picking up what he was putting down. Not knowing what else to do, he went back into the bathroom, laid on the floor, sticking his head under the sink, and started lightly banging around on the pipe. He immediately heard stomping footsteps and knew he had her.

"What the hell are you doing?" She demanded. "Is there really a leak down there?"

Fitz scooted out and looked up at her. Even when she was pissed off, Olivia was beautiful. "I tried to tell you that, but you wouldn't listen! I need something to soak up all the water! Something...sturdy."

"There are at least ten towels under there! Put them down and I'll go find some more in the laundry room."

She turned to go but Fitz grabbed her hand and stood up. "I already tried that. They don't work like I need them to. I need something useless." His eyes lit up and he grabbed the edge of her nightgown and pulled it over her head as fast as he could. "This ought to do it!"

"FITZ!" She shrieked, crossing her arms over her chest and giving him a hostile look.

He flung the ugly cotton nightgown under the sink, shut the door quickly, and gave his wife a satisfied smirk. "The water is gone."

"What is wrong with you?"

"Sorry about that. Did you get any water on you?" He picked her naked little body up and set her on the bathroom counter and began running his hands all over her body very slowly.

Olivia eyed him suspiciously, obviously still extremely confused.

Fitz got in her neck and ran his tongue along the shell of her ear. "I fixed the leak. Now you've gotta pay the plumber."

Ahhhhhh, now she got it. Fitz was changing things up with a little roleplay! Interesting. If he was going to be the plumber, she was going to be nothing but the satisfied customer. Turning her head, she got into his neck and said, "There's still a leak and I'm not paying you until the job is done right."

Fitz grinned in her neck. His woman was hot. He wiped the grin off his face and looked her in the eye and said, "Where is this leak? I'll take a look."

"It's really hard to see. Besides, I'm not sure it's fixable. I'll just pay you for the sink and you can be on your way."

"While I'm here, just let me see if I can find it. Leaks can be unpleasant things." Again, he ran his hands over her body while keeping eye contact with her. He reached between her legs and felt moisture. He was hard as a rock. He cleared his throat, already over this game, and said, "Is this the uhhhh, leak?"

Olivia nodded her head. "Can it be fixed?"

"I hope not." He panted out. He took a deep breath and added, "What I mean is, I'm gonna have to see how deep the leak is."

"Of course. You're the professional." Olivia said breathing heavily. She felt him slide one long finger inside of her and groaned loudly.

Fitz ground his teeth together as hard as he possibly could and slide his finger in and out of her, while watching her face. "That's a pretty bad leak you've got there."

"Do you have a tool that can fix it?" Her eyes jumped down to his erect crotch. She licked her lips appreciatively.

"Fuck yes." He breathed. "I mean, yes, of course I do. Should we take this somewhere else to fix it?"

"No! I think you should fix it right here." She bit her lip. "It could get messy."

Who was he to argue? Fitz's playful mind was not lost in the clouds yet though, and he said, "I can't get the tool I need, because my finger is plugging the leak. Would you mind getting it?"

"I'm happy to lend a helping hand. Where is it?" She asked seductively.

"In my pocket." He averted his gaze down to his ever-hardening erection.

Olivia reached her small warm hand inside the waistband of his boxer briefs and wrapped her fingers around his rigid length. She watched his eyes close and his head fall back. She was having a hard time concentrating because his finger had not let up since he started his own hand play. They both groaned happily. "How can I help?"

What was she saying? He couldn't think. Couldn't speak. He would definitely use this plumber gig with her again! "Huh?" He grunted out.

Olivia grinned at his closed eyed face. He was such a goner. Who knew this could be so much fun. He'd better do this with her again! "I said, how can I help?"

Once again, he made eye contact with her. He was trying to stay in the game for another moment or two. And then he was going to wear her out in the best way. "I'm going to need you to bring my tool to the leak. I'll move my finger out of the way and you put the tool into the leak." He watched her eyes practically cross. "Do you think you can do that?"

"I don't know. But I'll try." She groaned. Olivia used her feet to pull his boxer briefs to the floor as he pulled her closer to the edge of the counter. She opened her legs and he stepped closer to her. Their faces were an inch apart and both of them were eyeing the hell out of each other's lips, wanting to kiss more than take the next breath.

Fitz slowly pulled his finger out of her velvet wetness and Olivia guided his center into hers. The game was no more after the connection of their bodies had been made. Four hands anxiously grappled to touch skin. Their mouth fused together, fighting for dominance. Hair was pulled. Skin slapped against skin. Air became a commodity. And it still wasn't enough for either of them.

He grabbed onto Olivia's ass and stepped away from the counter, pushing her body away from his and then impatiently pulling her back. He couldn't handle standing for long and made his way to their bed. He laid her down gently, and then not so gently plunged himself all the way into her. It felt like home to Fitz and he halted his movements to just look at his wife.

She was spread out on their bed, back arched, hair going in every direction on the sheet, eyes closed, lost in the feeling they bring to each other in these intimate moments. He pulled himself out of her slowly, listened to her sigh, and then pushed himself inch by inch back inside. He loved that after all this time together, he was still entranced by her facial expressions during their love making. It was the sexiest thing in his opinion.

Everything about his wife was sexy. He couldn't wait to get her pregnant again. Pregnancy ass would be back! The excitement of that amazing thought had Fitz speeding up his thrusts and pushing eager moans and creative cursing from Olivia's mouth. He needed more kisses from that dirty mouth. But when he leaned down to get some, Olivia rolled them. Fitz found himself under his wife, and she had the devil in her eye. It was fucking sexy! He held onto her hips and let her do her worst.

"I don't think you're a real plumber." She panted out. "I'd like to see your credentials." Olivia was rolling her hips, feeling him slide in and out of her body. Nothing on earth was better than sex with Fitz. He knew how to make her feel so alive one minute and panting for air the next. She lived for this coming together with him above all else.

"You're currently riding my very long very hard credential. Very well I might add." When she grinned from on top of him he said, "I'm not leaving here without payment, woman."

She gave him a sympathetic look and said, "I guess you're gonna have to pound it out of me."

That was all the motivation he needed. Fitz grabbed her waist and rolled them so that he was once again on top of her. "Challenge accepted" he grunted out. Olivia wrapped her legs around him and raised her arms over her head, as Fitz dipped his and sucked energetically on one of her nipples. She started writhing and calling out his name repeatedly, and still he didn't stop. He rammed in and out of her at a wild pace and could feel her building up to that beautiful explosion he loved to watch.

He released her nipple and concentrated on her face. Olivia had her eyes closed tightly, just feeling everything he was bringing to her body. It was so much and yet she still wanted more. The tension between her thighs got more and more intense until it snapped. She sobbed out his name and pulled him close to her skin. A few moments and energetic thrusts later, and Fitz collapsed on top of her.

This was Olivia's favorite moment. When her husband was completely spent and laying on top of her like a puddle of mush. She ran one hand over his back while the other one played in his curls. He was powerless and she loved being able to touch him while he gained his bearings. He tried once, like he always did, to take his weight off of her, but Olivia held him in place and kissed him.

"I love you, babe." He mumbled out, almost asleep.

"You and your hairy ass plumber crack need to get out of my house. My husband is going to be home any minute, and he's the jealous type."

"As hot as you are, he should be." Fitz said.

"I love you more." She said, still rubbing his sandy curls. Fitz opened his mouth to give his favorite, most truthful reply to her but Olivia quickly added, "I know, I know, it's not possible."


	23. The World According to Lincoln

I am not a baby know-it-all by any means. I just thought this would be something more different than anything I had ever done or read before. I hope you all enjoy it.

The World According to Lincoln

Saturday is my favorite day of the week.

No one is waking me up early in the morning. No one is rushing around the house, making too much noise. No one is going in and out of every single room a hundred times. No one is going to work. No one is stressed out about everything that has to be done at work. No one is giving me rushed kisses goodbye.

On Saturday everything is much slower paced. It's relaxing. It's fun. It's family time. My favorite day of the week.

Right now, I am sitting on mommy's lap in the middle of my parent's big soft bed. I love being around all of my family, but mommy and daddy are my most favoritest people. I woke up a little while ago, and mommy made me a bottle and fed it to me, after telling me I was the cutest boy on earth. Mommy really knows how to make me feel special and loved. She always makes crazy faces at me and kisses my cheeks every single day. Mommy is the one who dresses me in the cutest outfits. Not the babyish ones, but cool stuff with boats or bears on them. I guess she wants me to look cute because she always looks so pretty. I love her long dangly necklaces and try to grab them to put them in my mouth. She is the one who usually changes my diapers, but daddy helps too.

Right now, she is reading me a book while daddy makes funny comments sometimes. Mommy pokes him in the belly but laughs at him. Daddy is so funny. She points at the pictures and explains what is happening in them. Or she points out the colors and call them by name. She is the smartest mommy I've ever known.

Daddy is awesome. He always likes to have man to man conversations with me about serious stuff. The last time we talked, he told me that we couldn't tell mommy about the tooth I am trying to grow in my mouth. He said that mommy has to find it on her own. I hope she finds it soon, because it hurts a lot! Mommy always makes things better.

My daddy is always telling me about the Grant men and how great they are. And he told me about how great I was going to be when I grow up too. I'm happy to be a Grant, whatever that means, because my daddy is a Grant and he is so much fun! I hope I'm fun like him when I get bigger? He's my best friend.

Now that the book is over, my daddy is kissing my mommy. I'm laughing at them because they look silly. They talk about another baby, but I still haven't seen one at my house yet? It sure would be nice to have someone little to play with. And it would give my grandmothers someone else to watch since I'm so big now.

Daddy just said that if my mommy doesn't straighten up he's going to call the plumber. I don't know what that means, but I hope I'm awake to find out?

Mommy just said she'll straighten him out. They have the strangest talks.

This is boring. I'm starting to get tired of hearing about animals and colors. I think I'll start to cry and see what happens.

"What's the matter, buddy?" Daddy asks, taking me from mommy's arms. "Are you sick of hearing about pigs and cows and ducks? Yea, me too. What do you want to do today?"

I just look at my daddy and smile. He smiles back at me and I can hear my mommy saying something about the two of us giving her ulcers when I'm older. I don't know what that means either, but it sounds like fun.

"We could take him for a walk at the park?" Mommy says. "It's a beautiful day outside. Maybe we could swing by the bakery and show him off afterwards? They haven't seen him in a while."

My daddy is giving my mommy that funny look again. "Maybe we could skip the bakery visit, put him down for a nap, and have naked cuddle time?"

I told you my daddy is funny!

My mommy isn't laughing though and pokes him again. She is getting off the big bed, putting on her shoes, and telling my daddy, "Come on! It'll be fun".

We are going to the park! YAY!

Daddy looks at me and says, "Ten bucks says we won't leave for another hour." He cracks me up and I grin at him.

At the park, daddy pushes my stroller while my mommy carries me. "Why the hell do we even bring this thing? He never sits in it!" He says to her.

"Because he's my baby and I feel like carrying him. Besides, it's holding all of our stuff." See, smart.

Daddy grumbles but the only thing I understand is when he said, "Yes, dear" to my mommy.

She chuckles at me and says, "Your daddy is a smart man." I already knew that though.

The three of us walked down to the water and looked at the yellow ducks, just like the ones in my story book! And they really swim in water and make a quacking sound. It makes me giggle to hear the sound and I watch them for a long time as my mommy points them out to me. Ducks are my favorite animal today.

Daddy dips my toes into the water and it feels good, so I start kicking them, making big splashes. Then he holds me under my arms and swings me back and forth between his big legs so that my feet skim the water. It tickles and I try to pull my feet up, but daddy dips me lower and my butt gets wet. He thinks it's funny and is laughing so hard, but I don't like having a wet butt and I start to cry. And that's when mommy came and took me out of daddy's arms, held me close, and told daddy to never do that again. Then she put me in my favorite onesie. The one with the bears on it. I want an outfit with yellow ducks on it!

We walked around a little more and found a carousel in the park. It had pretty horses with long sticks to hold onto. And you could see yourself in the big mirror that went all the way around the middle of the ride. Daddy gave tickets to the man and we climbed up and sat down on a chair with horses on the side of it. The carousel went in circles, but not too fast. Daddy held me and I could see everything as it went by! Some people that weren't on the ride waved to me. I just giggled at them. It was so much fun. When the ride was over my daddy kissed my mommy and they held hands as we went back to the stroller.

"That was fun, wasn't it Link?" He asked me. I grin at him because I can't talk yet.

My belly starts rumbling and I start to whine. I know my mommy is going to swoop in and feed me soon. I have her trained already. Sure enough, she looks over at my daddy and says, "Here. I'll take him. He's probably getting hungry by now."

But my daddy has his own plans.

"Stop being a baby hog, Liv" he says.

My daddy calls my mommy Liv sometimes. I don't know why he doesn't call her mommy?

"I can feed him a bottle just as well as you can." He continues.

"Fine. But you can burp him when you're done too!" Mommy replies with sass.

"Been the master of it since day one." He replies. "Right, Link?"

My daddy really is the best at getting burps to come out of me. I don't know how he does it, but he just finds them somehow.

Mommy pulls the stroller over on the grass and reaches into it for a red and blue blanket. She spreads it out onto the grass and then pulls out a bottle, saying something about hoping I will drink it cold? I'm so hungry I could eat a duck right now! She passes the bottle to my daddy and my eyes are glued to it as he sits down on the blanket and settles me in his arms. He needs to put it in my mouth NOW, but he's kissing my mommy again. Grown ups are so slow sometimes!

Finally, he puts the bottle in my mouth and it tastes different. Not bad, but different. I'm not complaining because I'm so hungry. The colder temperature feels good on my gums, but after drinking almost half of it, my daddy suddenly pulls it out of my mouth and puts me up on his great big shoulder and starts patting my back. He always does that! Just when my belly stops hurting from being hungry, someone takes my bottle away from me to smack me on the back. I just wanna eat! But will they...

BURP

Oh! That feels better. Maybe he knows what he's doing after all?

"Excuse you!" My daddy says chuckling at me. "You want the rest?"

Are ducks yellow? Gimme!

I reach my hands up toward the bottle and start to whine until he puts it in my mouth.

"I was warned before you were even born that you would be impatient, just like your mother." He tells me. I wonder who told him that? And what does impatient mean?

"What did you say?" Mommy asks.

"Nothing, dear." Daddy answers, winking at me. He leans closer to my face and I stare at him while he whispers, "When are you gonna tell your mom about...you know." He smiles, showing me all his teeth.

Oh! My incoming tooth!

"You need to be the one to tell her, buddy." Daddy is talking to me, and while I am a little busy at the moment, I look into his blue eyes and listen to him intently, and even reach up to touch his face. He turns his face and kisses my little hand. "I don't care how cute you are, I'm not telling her. Do it today, Link!"

I immediately stop sucking and give him a grin. Milk slides down my chin and into my neck, but it doesn't bother me at all. I happily kick my feet and watch my daddy grin back at me. I want to be just like him when I grow up. I think I know what my mommy meant about the ulcers earlier.

"Babe? Will you give him the second half of his bottle please? I gotta pee." I hear my daddy tell my mommy. I know exactly what he's up to. He's so smart. He whispers, "Tell her while I'm gone!"

"Sure. Pass him to me." Mommy replies. "But you get to burp him when you get back." I watch my daddy walk away and then focus on mommy again. She's so pretty. And she's smiling at me like I'm the most important person in the whole world.

I am immediately content when my mommy holds me in her arms. "Let's change your diaper before you finish your bottle, Mister. If you fall asleep afterwards, you'll be good to go. Okay?"

She makes it sound like she's asking for my permission, but she's not.

She lays me down on the blanket and reaches into my diaper bag and pulls out a diaper. She hands me the small plastic wipes container to hold while she unsnaps my onesie and pulls off the wet diaper from my butt. "Can I have one of those please?" She asks before taking the container from me and pulling out a wipe.

See, not really asking me. She wipes me off and it feels good to be clean. She puts a dry diaper on me and then snaps my onesie back up and then kisses my face for the millionth time today.

"Awww, you got some milk under your chin. Let mommy wipe it off so you're not a sticky boy."

She gets another wipe from the container and hands it back to me to play with. I'm trying to figure out how to get her to look in my mouth. Nothing comes to mind, so I push my hand inside it and start to gnaw on it.

"Lincoln, you're getting formula on your hand." She pulls my hand out of my mouth and wipes it off while I begin to have a meltdown. I arch my back and begin to cry loudly. "Son, it's not the end of the world."

It kind of feels like it is. I just want to chew on my hand but she won't let me. I hope this isn't the beginning of her telling me no when I want to do other things? I can't live like that!

She gets all of the formula off of my hand and I put it right back in my mouth. She sighs at me, but doesn't take it back out. Whew! I was worried about that no thing for a minute.

"Why are you chewing on your hand anyway? I bet it doesn't taste as good as this bottle." She waves the bottle in front of my face with a huge smile on hers.

Man, she is not getting it.

I go to phase two of the meltdown. I wail loudly! My face turns red, tears start rolling down my cheeks, and I roll over onto my belly, putting my head down on the blanket. Gets her every time!

"Hey, hey, hey! What's the matter with my little man?" She coos. Mommy picks me up and puts me over her shoulder and I can see my daddy hiding behind a tree. He's waving at me.

Dude, I'm trying over here!

She pulls me off of her shoulder and holds me in her arms when that doesn't quiet me down, and looks at me. "What has you so fussy right now little boy? You were completely content two minutes ago."

I put my hand back into my mouth between whimpers and she watches me carefully.

"What's going on in your mouth?" She asks.

She pulls my hand out again and slides her little finger into my mouth, and begins rubbing my gums. I see the moment she realizes what is indeed going on in my mouth. Her eyes get really really big and her mouth opens really really big too. Finally!

"Ohmygod! Lincoln Nathaniel Thomas Grant! Is that what I think it is?"

Well, it ain't a duck. I grin around her little finger, still in my mouth, and notice that my mommy is crying. Daddy was right. She is that mom. She is perfect just the way she is though. Gosh I love her so much.

Mommy looks inside my mouth and sees proof of what she felt. "How long have you been cutting a tooth little man?" She asks, holding me closer and kissing the side of my head. "You're too little to be doing that!"

That's what my daddy said too, but here I am doing it.

She puts me back up over her shoulder and I can see my daddy coming back to the blanket. He shoots me an excited thumbs up from behind mommy's back.

"Liv?" He asks, when he reaches the blanket. He puts his arm around my mommy. "What's the matter? Are you okay? What happened?"

Man, my daddy can act! Give him an Emmy for goodness sake!

"I am not okay at all." She blubbers. "Lincoln has a tooth coming in! He's practically in high school. It's all going way too fast and I don't like it!"

"What? No way! Are you sure it's a tooth?" He asks, feigning surprise.

"It's not a duck, Fitz!" She says sniffing.

Oh my gosh! It's like she was reading my mind.

"Can I take a look?" He asks.

This is the tricky part, because that means mommy is going to have to give me to my daddy so he can look in my mouth. She is not going to want to do that. This should be entertaining.

"Yea, of course. Come here." She says.

Mommy for the win! She was never going to pass me over to him.

Daddy scoots closer to sit right beside her and she pulls down my bottom lip to expose my gums. I see him wink at me and am reminded of just how great he really is. He let her find the tooth all by herself so she could think she found it first. And so she could have a moment with me to be sappy and love on me. He really is the bestest daddy ever. And man, does he love my mommy a lot too!

"Look at that, Liv!" He exclaims. This time he does scoop me out of my mommy's arms and swings me up high over his head, and I know it's going to be okay with her. He's giving her a minute to get herself together and the two of us one of our own. "Link! Buddy! You're getting your first tooth! That is amazing!"

I start to whine because, despite all of this excitement, I am still hungry. My daddy pulls me down and holds me close to his ginormous chest. "You're such a guy, Link. Always thinking with your belly. Let's finish your bottle and then it's probably time for us to head home so you can take a nap." He kisses the top of my head and then settles back on the blanket beside my mommy and feeds me the rest of my bottle. She lays her head on his shoulder and rubs the soft curls on my head.

My eyes start to get so heavy and I don't think I can keep them open much longer. I really don't want to miss anything, but eventually they close, and the last thing I see is my mommy leaning down to kiss me. She's not crying anymore, but she definitely looks a little sad. I don't like to see her sad. I hope she's happier when I wake up?

My eyes open again and I'm in the backseat of the car. I wonder where we are? I don't hear my mommy or daddy's voices and start to wonder if they left me in here all alone! I start to whine, part of it is fear, and the rest is because I'm still so tired. But I need to know where they are.

"Shhhhh, Link. It's okay buddy. We'll be on the road again in a few minutes."

That's my daddy's voice. I feel so much better knowing I'm not all by myself in the car, but now I want to know what is going on. Why are we stopped? Where are we? Why aren't we moving now? Why do I have to sit backwards anyways? I can't see anything or anyone! It's so frustrating sometimes. I just want to go to sleep. Or have someone pick me up out of this car seat!

"Link. My man. It's okay." Daddy says. "We had to stop at the store for a minute. We're going to go home soon, buddy."

I stop whining, but I'm rubbing my eyes and I'm not very happy. I babble at him sleepily.

"You did a great job telling mommy about your tooth today." He says from the front seat. "I told you she'd need a minute. But I'm glad she finally knows about it. Of course, that means she thinks you will be moving out soon." He chuckles, and for some reason it comforts me.

I just start to doze off again when the front door opens. I hear my mommy say, "Wow! That place was packed! Everyone and their grandmother is in there today!"

My grandmothers are in the store? I wanna go see them! But I'm so sleepy too! I don't really know what I want, so I start to whine again.

"What's the matter with my little man?" I hear mommy ask. "Hold on, babe."

"Where are you going now?" Daddy asks.

I hear the front door open again and then the back door opens. I look over and see my mommy. She is sitting in the backseat with me!

"Hi, little man. Do you want some company back here on the way home?"

She's smiling at me, and I reach my hand over in her direction. She holds onto it and my daddy says, "Are you really going to ride in the back seat all the way to the house?"

She looks at me and winks. "Yup."

Daddy starts the car with a little huff as mommy giggles, and we are moving again.

"Someone is jealous, Lincoln." Mommy says playfully.

"Someone is going to be naked later on." Daddy says. "Is he asleep yet?"

"His pretty blue eyes are getting droopy, but not quite yet. Huh, Lincoln?" She kisses me again and I smile as my eyes start to close. The last thing I hear her say before I go back to sleep is, "I'm glad we got out of the house today."

I open my eyes and pick up my head to look around. I'm in my own bed. How did I get in here, I wonder. I listen for sounds but hear nothing. I see one of my toys nearby and reach my little hand to get it. Picking stuff up is really neat. Almost as neat as rolling over, but not quite. Picking stuff up is my favorite thing to do lately, besides putting whatever it is into my mouth. Everything goes into my mouth. Even stuff my mommy doesn't want to go in there. That's always the best stuff too!

I hear my mommy laughing somewhere in the house and I immediately drop my toy and pick my head up again. Something smells really good and I think they are cooking dinner. I wonder when they will let me eat dinner with them? That's a thought for another day. Right now, though, I want to be with them. Saturday is almost over and that only leaves one more day with them before the work thing starts all over again. I don't want to think about that right now. I hate to do this to them, but I want to be out there too, and it works every single time. I start to cry.

Mommy will be in here in 3...2...1...

"Hey! Look whose finally awake!" A voice says.

I stop crying and turn my head towards the door. That's not my mommy. It's uncle Thad?! That means all those girls are at my house! I get excited, dry up the tears, and start to move my arms and legs excitedly! This day just got even better!

He grins at me as he lowers the side of my crib. My cousin, Megan is standing next to his leg. She is the funnest one of all three of them and I give her my best smile.

"Get him out, daddy!" Megan says.

"I'm working on it, sweet pea." He says. He reaches in my crib and lifts me out. "Hey, buddy! Wow, you're getting so big! I hear you have your first tooth coming in already? That's big boy stuff!"

He sounds just like my daddy and I smile at him. Uncle Thad asks Megan to hand him a diaper so he can change me. She brings it over and he starts the process.

"What's that, daddy?" She asks when I'm naked.

"Nothing you need to worry about for at least thirty more years." He says.

I don't know what they are talking about, but I'm happy to be dry again. I didn't even notice that I was wet! Once I'm dressed again, uncle Thad picks me up and brings me into the living room. I can see my mommy and daddy and all the other people at my house. I start babbling and everyone turns to look at me.

"Did you have a good nap, Link?" Daddy asks from the kitchen.

He knows I did. I always do.

All three little girls gather around my uncle Thad and start playing with me when he sits on the couch. They each hug and kiss me and it makes me smile. I try to grab their long pretty hair, but they are faster than I am and move out of the way before I can get it.

"He has the Grant good looks, doesn't he?" Uncle Thad says.

My daddy comes and sits down next to him and pulls Megan and Elizabeth on his lap. He calls them ladybugs instead of their names and I don't know why?

"Oh yea. This kid is gonna break hearts when he's older." My daddy says confidently.

"My baby is not allowed to break any hearts." I hear my mommy say from the kitchen.

My daddy and uncle Thad smirk at each other. "Don't listen to your mom. She fell prey to the Grant charm too. You're absolutely gonna break hearts." Uncle Thad whispers. "Aren't you, Lincoln?"

I try to grab his nose and laugh at him when I finally get a hold of it.

"What are you feeding this kid? He's huge!"

"Formula. Although I snuck him some mashed potatoes the other night while Liv was on the phone with Abby."

"Really? You didn't tell her, did you?"

"I'm alive, aren't I?"

"Good point."

My mommy suggests that uncle Thad puts me on the floor so I can play with the girls. I show them my rolling over trick and they clap and giggle. It's so much more fun to have other kids in the house. Especially girls. They are so pretty and their laugh is fun. And they all want to take care of me. I kind of like being the center of attention. I hope I get to spend a lot of time with them as I grow up. I heard daddy say that they are my cousins. I don't know what that means, but I like being around them a lot.

"Lincoln, do you want this toy?" Elizabeth asks me. She's holding out a rattle and shaking it in front of me.

She's very shy and quiet, but Elizabeth is the one who acts like a little mommy to me sometimes. Maybe it's because she's the oldest? Maybe it's because she has two little sisters. I wish I had a sister. I smile and reach up for it. She brings it down to me and puts it in my hand. I give her a smile and watch one cross her pretty face too.

"He didn't say thank you." Megan announces after she takes my toy away from me.

Megan is very funny. She always reports what people do or say to everyone. She doesn't care much about acting like a mommy. She sometimes goes between playing with us and sitting on my daddy's lap. Sometimes she takes my toys away from me, but mostly she makes faces at me and tries to get me to laugh.

"He doesn't know how to talk yet, ladybug." My daddy says, picking her up and putting her on his shoulders. She giggles loudly and my daddy says, "But I expect you to teach him how to say it so he will have good manners. Can you do that?"

"What was my first word, momma?" She asks.

Aunt Robin gives her a face and says, "It was da da, sweet girl. But your second word was much more important."

"Really? What was it?" She asks.

"Momma!" She tells her.

I lay on my back and think about what they just said. I gotta learn how to talk soon. I wonder if I should say momma or da da first? I look at my parents and I can't decide which one I should say first. I'm going to have to think about that for a while.

"Momma is the best." Sophie says beside me, with a big smile.

Sophie is the smallest ladybug. She is the most talkative and she has my back when Megan tries to take my toys away from me. Maybe it's because she's the youngest? Maybe it's because she remembers what it's like to be a baby since it wasn't that long ago? Whatever the reason is, I agree with her. Mommy is the best. Daddy is a close second though.

Sophie gets up off the floor, goes to where Megan is sitting on my daddy's lap, and takes the toy away from her. She comes back to sit on the floor beside me and passes it to me. "Here ya go, Link." She says as she touches my hair. I give her a big smile and she kisses my cheek. I love the ladybugs!

"Okay, ladies." Uncle Thad says, getting up from the couch. "It's time for us to go home. The three of you need to get into bed. And then I have to get mommy into bed."

My daddy chuckles and gives him a high five. My mommy and aunt Robin roll their eyes at them.

The girls start to whine and so do I. I'm not ready to see them go. They just got here! Unless they were here before I woke up? This is why I hate taking naps. I miss everything fun!

My mommy picks me up and hold me on her hip and then walks to the front door. She watches my daddy hugging the girls goodbye. He's a big puddle of mush when it comes to the ladybugs. It's cute to watch him like that. My mommy squats down and we both tell the girls goodbye too, giving hugs and kisses. Mommy makes them promise to come back soon! Aunt Robin and uncle Thad give us kisses goodbye too and they all leave.

The house is quiet again and I'm a little sad. But mostly I'm happy to have my mommy and daddy all to myself again.

Mommy looks at me and asks, "Do you want to take a bath, little man?"

I grin at her and start waving my hands excitedly. She knows I love bath time! The toys, the water, the splashing. Yea, I love bath time!

Daddy leans in close to me and pinches his nose. "P U! You stink, Link."

"My perfect baby does not stink!" She holds me close and I can see daddy grinning at me. When I pick my head up off of her chest, I see her sticking her tongue out at him.

"Daddy needs to put mommy to bed soon so she can find a better way to use that tongue of hers." He leans down and kisses mommy on the lips and hums.

"Mommy has a few ideas of her own and will be ready in about an hour or so. But first," she looks down at me and says, "A bath for this little boy."

Playing in the tub is so much fun! My mommy always has so many toys in it that I can never see the bottom of the tub. And now that I can pick the toys up, it's even funner! She sits on the floor beside the tub and talks to me while I splash the water. Sometimes it gets all over her and it makes me laugh. She doesn't get mad, she just laughs with me. Eventually though, she will put some stuff on a face cloth and start to wash me up. I don't know what it is, but it smells really good. That means I smell good too, right?

She pulls the plug in the bottom of the tub and we watch the water run down the hole together. Sometimes mommy makes the same noise as the water when it runs down the hole and it makes me laugh hard. Then she picks me up and wraps me up in a big fuzzy towel and hold me close. When I get into her and daddy's bedroom, she lays me down on their bed and I roll over and try to get away from her. She thinks this is the best trick in the world, but she always catches me and brings me back to where we started.

Mommy dries me off real good and puts a diaper on me. Every time she puts the diaper on after my bath, she tells me a story about when I peed on her when I was little. I think she's fibbing because I wouldn't do that to her. But the diaper always goes on my hiney super fast as soon as the towel comes off.

Next, she puts my pajamas on me. Tonight's jammies have ducks on them! How did she know I wanted to wear clothes with ducks? I told ya, she's so smart! She points at the ducks on my belly and reminds me about the ones we saw in the park earlier. I remember them. As soon as my pajamas are on, she scoops me up and smells my hair. I don't know why she does that? She says my hair always smells so good after a bath. I'm glad because I love it when we cuddle together when I'm warm and dressed from my bath.

And just like we started the day, mommy and daddy sit on their big comfy bed with me and we read a book. I start yawning before we even get to the ducks though, even though I really don't want to miss seeing them again. Daddy leans over to the little table beside the bed and gives me a bottle while mommy reads some more. I'm so excited to eat again, that I don't even care about the book anymore. But I still listen, even though my eyes are closing.

As soon as I hear the word duck, my eyes open and I jerk my head up from my daddy's arms to look at the book. He laughs at me and says, "I think Link really likes ducks." He ruffles my hair and after I've looked at them for a minute, I go back to my bottle and close my eyes again as I drink. This bottle tastes like a house bottle. It's not cold. It's warm. It's perfect.

I feel my someone kiss my head but I'm too tired to open my eyes to see which one of them it is. It doesn't matter anyway. I know before I'm put into my bed, they will both kiss me some more. I smile in my sleep just thinking about it.

I don't know how long it was from the time I fell asleep to now, but I heard my mommy scream really loudly from the bathroom. It was loud enough to wake me up. I want to know if she's okay, but I'm not done sleeping yet. So I lay there to go back to sleep.

I hear my daddy say, "Well? What does it say?"

"It's two lines." She says to him. They sound like they are far away.

"What the hell does that mean?" My daddy asks her.

I open my eyes at my mommy's reply. She just said she's pregnant. What does that mean?


	24. Fun

_Hey everyone! I'm sorry for the super long delay in posting this chapter. My dad had surgery & was in the hospital for 8 days. It was a lot of back & forth to be with my mom while she stayed with him. He's fine now thank goodness, but my writing had to take a backseat until he was better. I hope you enjoy this chapter._

Fun

"What are you thinking about right now?" Fitz asked his wife, as she lay sprawled out on his chest in the quiet early morning hour. He knew she was awake, he could practically hear her thinking through something, but had no idea what was weighing so heavily on her mind. He didn't mind her happy place contemplating, because she was lying on top of him, naked, and quiet. He had both arms around her, rubbing her back, but every so often one hand would wander a little further south for some ass groping action. She didn't seem to notice or mind, so he was happy too.

Olivia lifted her head off of his chest and gave him a smile, while she pushed the stray curl off of his forehead. "You're so handsome."

Fitz chuckled at her. She definitely had something on her mind. Buttering him up seemed the best way to get what she wanted, it seemed. "You don't have to give me compliments. I mean, I know it's true, but it's unnecessary. What do you want?"

Olivia looked at him for a moment. She had no idea how to ask him her question. Had no idea what he would think of it? Would he think she was crazy? Lazy? Milking the pregnancy thing? She didn't know. "I would like to discuss something with you, but I need you to keep an open mind about it. I know there are pros and cons to it, just like with everything. I just want to know what you think about it. Okay?"

This was serious, Fitz decided. She had spent some time thinking about whatever it was that she wanted to talk about. And she seemed worried about what his opinion of it would be. That wasn't like Liv. Still, he'd give her the world if it was within his power, so he replied, "Of course I will."

"I don't know how to explain it." She said.

"Hey. There is nothing you can't tell me or ask me. Just say it and we'll talk it through. You don't have to be nervous with me. I've seen you naked." He wiggled his eyebrows at her, pulled the sheet up, and playfully slapped her bare ass.

"Okay." Olivia took a deep breath and looked into her husband's blue eyes. "What do you think about me cutting my schedule to working only three days a week?"

This was not what Fitz was expecting. Not even close. Both hands settled on her back and he looked at her. She was serious. This was interesting. "Why do you want to do that? Does it have anything to do with the recent asshole at work situation?"

"What? No! Fitz, I feel like I'm missing moments with Lincoln that I'll never get back. He's only going to be little once and I don't think money is a big enough incentive to continue missing them. We're in a good place financially. What do you think?"

"We are financially sound, that's true. With the new baby on the way, we are going to have to start looking for a bigger house though. And that will most likely mean a bigger house payment. It's something we need to consider." Her expression immediately fell and Fitz hated to see that look on her face.

"You're right. We have outgrown this house. It's time to look for a new one. The sooner we find one the better. Then there will be packing and moving." She sighed heavily. "It's not a good time right now. I get that."

"Hey." He put a finger under her chin and lifted her face back up toward his. "It's not a no. Let's see what we can find over the next few months and go from there. Maybe we can find a house that isn't too far off from what we're paying for this one? If you want this, then I want it for you. Lincoln would love to have his mommy home with him more often. It's a goal we are going to work towards. Alright?" He gave her a smile and lifted his head off his pillow to peck her lips.

"That's fair, and it makes sense too. I'll make some calls from work today and see if we can get an agent to show us some houses next week. Does that work for your schedule?"

"I have a schedule you can work." He gave her a wolfish grin and grabbed her ass with both hands.

"You are such a pervert." She chuckled. "We have to get up and start getting ready for work now."

"You purposefully used up all of our quiet time this morning to avoid sex." He whined. "Stay in bed with me a few minutes more. We can be a little late." He disappeared under the sheet and pushed her body up toward the headboard, but not before gently kissing her flat stomach.

"Fitz! No! I really can't...ohhhhhh!...be..." She was already breathing hard as his tongue went to work. "Ohgod! Mmmmmaybe I can be a few minutes late."

Walking to her office, Olivia couldn't quite keep the grin off her face. She was extra friendly to everyone she came into contact with or whoever met her gaze. It was a good day, but Fitz had made it even better. She opened her door and was met with Abby's own smiling face.

"What the hell are you so happy about?" Olivia accused.

"I could ask you the same thing." Abby said with a grin.

"Did you get laid this morning?"

"Did you?"

"Oh yea. Fitz is a truly gifted genius." Olivia sighed as she put her purse down.

"I'm sure Stephen could teach him a thing or two. He's British after all." Abby plopped on the couch and her friend dropped down beside her.

"That may be true, but Stephen hasn't gotten you pregnant. Twice." Olivia let her admission hang in the air and waited for her red headed friend to catch on.

Abby jerked her head in Olivia's direction, with a serious expression. "What are you talking about? Twice?"

"See, my man knows how to do the job right, Abby. I'm pregnant."

"But you just gave birth five minutes ago! You can't have another baby already!" Abby said in a voice that got higher with each word.

"Well, tell that to Fitz's swimmers. Apparently, they are very good at their job."

"Please stop talking! I don't want to hear about Fitz's sperm. Ever. Are you okay with being pregnant again already?" She asked.

Olivia gave her red headed best friend a wistful smile. "I am. I love being a mom to Lincoln. And I didn't want him to grow up alone. Or there be too many years in between him and the next one."

"At least one year would be alright." Abby muttered. When Olivia shot her a heated look, the red head held her hands up in front of her and added, "I'm sorry. But you really just got back into the swing of things at work. You're looking at another maternity leave and taking care of two kids under the age of two. That's a lot, Liv! Can you handle that?"

"Yea. I mean, I have the best husband who helps me with everything and is so patient. He's such a great dad to Lincoln that I know he will be amazing with two kids. We're a team, Abs. We've got this." Olivia rubbed her perfectly flat belly and said, "Besides, It's too late to think about backing out now. There's a little Grant growing in here already."

"Okay, all of that was coming from the rational side of my brain. And those are things you definitely need to think about for the next few months. It really is going to be a lot with two small children. And I know that Fitz is an amazing human being – practically a superhero - but, that's my title." She gave Olivia an unashamed smile. "Now. As aunt Abby and your best friend in the whole world, I am excited beyond belief! Come here and give me a hug preggo!"

The two women embraced and the door to Olivia's office opened. Yvonne poked her head inside and squinted her eyes at the two women. "What's going on in here?"

Without hesitation, Abby ran to the door, pulled Yvonne in, and squealed, "Liv is pregnant!"

Yvonne squealed loudly too and they hugged each other while jumping up and down. "That's one for you and one for me!"

"I know, right? You get the new kid, because Lincoln is all mine now!" Abby said plotting.

Olivia cleared her throat from across the room.

The excited women broke apart and Yvonne said, "Right. Umm, congratulations, fertile Myrtle! This is great news!"

"Thank you, I think." Olivia said smiling.

"Are you planning to wait until you're practically in labor to tell the partners this time?" Abby asked.

"Actually, I'm going to tell them this afternoon. And after Fitz and I hopefully find a house that fits our budget, I'm probably going to talk to them about easing up my schedule to only three days a week."

"WHAT?!" Abby and Yvonne exclaimed together.

Yvonne grabbed her boss' shoulders and said. "Don't you leave me here alone! Not even for only two days a week! We are a team and I can't be here without you. Don't. Leave. Me!"

"Yvonne, you can work with me the other two days. It's no big deal." Abby suggested.

"Oh, okay. Then, bye. We'll miss you, Liv." Yvonne sang.

"Yea, I'm feeling that deep down in my soul right now." Olivia said sarcastically. "I feel like I'm missing all those moments with Lincoln. He's already rolled over, he's cutting his first tooth, who knows what he's accomplished since I left the house this morning?"

"Poop?" Abby asked. Yvonne snorted.

"The point is, we are at a good place financially, where I can afford to ease up on my schedule. If I can find us a house that the four of us can live in comfortably, and one that fits in our budget, then I am definitely going to stay home a little more to spend time with my kids."

"Sooooo there will never be five or six of you?" Yvonne questioned.

"Good point." Abby added. "What if you buy a house for four and you want another kid? What are you gonna do then?"

"I don't know. We could find a house with a bonus room or a full basement so boys can share a room and any potential girls can share a room. It'll be tough, but not impossible." Olivia stated.

"I'm hoping you have all boys. I would love to see you overrun by testosterone for the next eighteen or twenty years." Abby admitted with a wild grin.

Olivia pointed her index finger at the red head. "That's hateful! You know I am going to want at least one little girl to help balance out the two crazy males I already live with. I have a feeling Lincoln has more of Fitz's personality in him than mine. It's a little scary when I think about it."

"I kinda hope that Lincoln is more like his dad than you." Yvonne said with a shrug. "Fitz is more fun than you are."

"That's not true!" At her friend's disbelieving expressions, Olivia added, "I'm fun!"

"No, you're a mom now and as such, you are no longer fun."

Olivia looked around the room and scrambled for a reply. "My mother is fun!" She shot them a victorious smirk.

"You mom will always be fun. She is the exception to the rule."

"Sorry, Liv. I'm with Yvonne on this one."

"Get out! Both of you!" Olivia demanded. When the two women had vacated her office, she slumped into the chair behind her desk and muttered to herself. "I am too fun."

She pulled out her cell phone and sent a text to her fun husband.

 _I'm fun, right?_

She had to wait three whole minutes for his reply.

 _You were pretty damned fun this morning_

Olivia rolled her eyes. Sex always equaled fun in Fitz's mind.

 _What about when I'm not naked?_

She watched the three dots as her husband typed his reply.

 _Sure_

Olivia looked at the one word with annoyance. Sure? Did he really just say sure? He should have just said no. It would have been so much better received. Maybe. Damn it! She was fun!

 _Why are you asking me this?_

Olivia wasted no time to quickly tap out her frustrated answer.

 _Because Abby & Yvonne said I wasn't fun anymore_

 _Maybe you & the girls need a night out?_

 _Can't. Pregnant_

 _Pregnant, not dead. Go out!_

 _How much fun can I possibly have when I can't drink anything?_

 _You get_ _a limo, you dance, you have a great time! If I have to spell it out_ _maybe you aren't fun anymore?_

Olivia stuck her tongue out at her phone.

 _Stick your tongue out one more time & I'll come over there..._

She grimaced. He knew her too well.

 _I'm done with you. Go to work_

 _I plan to go to work on your body later on. You've been warned!_

 _Can't wait. Bye_

Well, that was useless. She pouted from the privacy of her office as thoughts of a girls night out made their way through her brain. She rolled her eyes and decided since she was there, she'd get some work done.

After lunch Olivia returned to work to spend much of the afternoon on the phone. She had accomplished quite a few things that weren't exactly work related, but important nonetheless. She and Fitz had an appointment to meet with a realtor the following week to see a few houses. She was determined to find something within their budget that would allow her the freedom to be at home with Lincoln and the new baby.

She knew they had a small window of time to find a house, close on it, and begin the process of moving into it. They also had to attempt to sell the one they currently lived in. The new baby would be here in eight months or so, and Olivia's goal was to at least get her family moved into a new house before the he or she got here. It was a huge undertaking, but she felt confident that she could accomplish it. They just had to find the right one.

But that wasn't the only non-work related matter that she had taken care of that afternoon. She was feeling pretty confident that her friend's opinion of her would be changing fairly soon. When a good idea hits, you run with it. After getting her husband's encouragement, that's exactly what Olivia had done.

After she went home, Olivia gave Lincoln some dinner followed by a bath. They laughed as he splashed water, played with his toys, and babbled happily. Once he was all clean, Olivia scooped him out, wrapped him up in a fuzzy towel, and got him dressed in a onesie. She sat down in the rocker in Lincoln's bedroom and began feeding him a bottle. He was getting pretty good at holding his bottles himself, but his mother wasn't a fan of her son's growing independence, and kept her hand on it at all times while she hummed him to sleep.

With no belly in the way yet, Olivia easily hoisted her passed out boy up on her shoulder and patted his back for a few minutes. When she was satisfied with his sleepy involuntary burps, she kissed his head and laid him down in his crib. Olivia watched him sleep for a few minutes and then raised the rail on the side of his bed.

Fitz had been home for a few minutes and silently watched his wife putting their son to bed. She was an amazing mother and he understood her desire to want to be home with Lincoln more while he was little. It made him love her more somehow. Knowing there would be two young Grant children in their house next year, made him question her sanity a little bit too.

She saw Fitz standing in the doorway watching her and Olivia smiled at him as she made her way into his arms. "You're amazing. You know that, right?" He asked, still holding her.

"Of course I do. I'm a Grant. It all started back when.."

Fitz chuckled, but pinched her. "And a smartass too." He pulled out of the embrace and held her hand, leading her out into the living room. He pulled her onto his lap on the couch. "Are you ready for the next twenty-four hours?"

"I'm a fun girl. Of course I'm ready!" She turned and curled into his arms, sighing happily when his larger ones came around her. "Are you ready to be on daddy duty?"

"Pffff. Please. Me and Link will be just fine. You go get your fun on and we'll be waiting up for you tomorrow night." He kissed the side of her head. "Have you packed yet?"

"Not yet. I wanted to spend as much time as I could with Lincoln before I left. It's twenty-four hours. I won't need much." Olivia yawned.

Fitz chuckled at her. "You sound like you need a nap, babe."

Olivia pinched him and he yelped.

"Besides, how is it you came to the conclusion that you won't need to pack much, but when I suggested the same thing to you a few years ago, you packed almost everything you owned?"

Olivia grinned into his neck. "That was different. You didn't suggest anything. You commanded."

Fitz's hands started to wander all over his wife's body. "I thought you love it when I command things."

She giggled and playfully slapped his hands away. "Don't start something you can't finish, Mr. Grant. I have to pack anyways." Olivia got up and started walking towards their bedroom.

Fitz got up and followed closely behind her. "I always let you finish first. You can pack later. You don't need much anyway. You said it yourself." He scooped her up into his arms and closed their door behind them silencing her protests with kisses.

A few hours later, Olivia pulled up in front of Yvonne's apartment and put her car in park. She grabbed her phone from her purse and called her assistant.

"I don't know you. I'm off the clock now." Yvonne said cheerfully.

"You need to haul your off the clock ass downstairs. I'm double parked and if I get a ticket, you get to pay it." Olivia didn't wait to hear her reply, she just ended the call. The sight that greeted her made Olivia laugh. Yvonne was wearing her pajamas. Blue shorts and a shirt that were navy blue with kittens on them.

Yvonne angrily stomped to her boss' car. Olivia let the window down and heard, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Get in." Was all Olivia offered.

"No way. I'm at home, in my pajamas, watching Netflix with my fiancé. I'm not going anywhere with you. Are you alright?"

Olivia gave her assistant her best courtroom stare. "I'm great. But your night is about to change. You're going to go upstairs, get dressed - quickly, I might add -, grab the bag your sweet fiancé has packed for you already, and come get in the car."

"What? Jason packed me a bag? Why?"

"Because I asked him to. It's called fun. And judging from your boring ass Friday night, you are never, I repeat, ever, allowed to tell me I'm not fun. So, go move your ass so we can repeat this process with Abby."

"The three of us are going somewhere together?" Yvonne asked, still confused but getting more excited at the thought.

"Only if you move. Now! Otherwise, it will just be myself and Abby while you sit at home in your cat pajamas watching some boring tv. You can thank me later for picking you up first, so we can watch Abby go through the same confusion you just did. Are you in or out?" Olivia glanced at her watch and then up at Yvonne.

"If you leave without me, I will screw up your schedule on Monday morning!" Yvonne yelled over her shoulder as she ran back toward her door.

Jason was standing in the doorway with a suitcase in his hand grinning. He waved at Olivia and she waved back. "You have three minutes!"

Yvonne was back in two minutes. She was breathing hard and sat in the front seat, hurriedly pulling on her seatbelt while Jason put her suitcase in the trunk. He appeared at the passenger window and Yvonne let it down. "Have a good time, honey. Call me when you get there."

"I don't know where we're going, but you know that I can't go to sleep without hearing your voice. I love you, baby." Yvonne chirped.

Olivia rolled her eyes at the sickening display. "Are you done yet? We have places to go."

Yvonne turned her head toward her boss and said in a challenging voice, "Tell me you didn't screw Fitz before you left the house and I will roll the window up on Jason's head right here, right now."

"Wait! What?" Jason said in a panicked voice.

Olivia slowly and silently turned her head to the left and looked out her own window. Two more minutes wouldn't hurt anything.

"That's what I thought." Yvonne said to her boss' back. Turning back to her fiancé, she added, "I never would have done it, Jason. I know her to well. I love you."

"See you tomorrow night. I love you, baby."

The two of them kissed and Yvonne pushed a button to let the window back up. "Now we can leave."

The quick drive to Abby and Stephen's house was a silent one. Olivia only wanted to share the details of the trip once and that was the real reason why she picked up Yvonne first. Abby wouldn't have given her a moment of quiet with her relentless questions. It worked out well all around because now Olivia felt that Yvonne deserved some entertainment, and Abby was about to provide it.

Olivia picked up her phone and called the redhead, putting the call on speaker.

"What?" Abby asked.

"Hello, Abby. Let's play a game."

"I don't really..."

"Here are the rules. You stop being super partner and get your crazy ass off the laptop. You come outside and get into my car where adventure and fun await us all."

"I have a few questions first. How do you know I'm on my laptop doing work? Why are you calling me from outside my house instead of coming inside like civilized people? And who is us all?"

"That's too many questions. Either you're in or you're out? What's it gonna be?"

"Yea, I'm out. Bye, Liv."

"Abigail Finch! Get your ass outside now!"

"Why should I?"

"Do you remember earlier today at work when you and someone who shall remain nameless, Yvonne, called me not fun?"

"Of course I do. Because you're not fun. So?"

"If I wasn't fun, would I plan a spontaneous girls getaway just for the three of us?"

"No way! Where are we going? How long will we be gone? What do I need to pack?"

"Yea way! We will be gone for twenty-four hours. And Stephen has already packed for you. All you have to do is come and get in my car so the fun can start. You have two minutes to get down here."

"Hurry up, Abby!" Yvonne chimed in.

"Okay, okay. I'm coming." The redhead relented.

Olivia had to endure the goodbye between Stephen and Abby, just like she had done with Yvonne and Jason. Knowing she had gotten a memorable goodbye of her own from Fitz made it a little more bearable this time. The three women waved goodbye to Stephen and they headed out on the road.

"Finally! We are all together. Now tell us where we are going." Yvonne said excitedly.

Olivia grinned. "It's nothing major. It was a last minute effort to prove my fun factor, but we are going to Fire Island. We'll be back home tomorrow night."

The two passengers cheered loudly, until Abby asked, "What is there to do there anyways? I've never been."

"Me either." Yvonne admitted.

"Neither have I, but we have a very cute cottage that an anonymous donor is letting us use for free tonight and tomorrow. It's right on the beach, so I'm already happy. And now that there are no men, the two of you can go parasailing, we can relax on the beach, we are going to hit up the casino tomorrow, you can drink til you drop, but I'm not picking you up. It will be FUN!"

"Look at you trying." Yvonne said with a grin.

"You owe me fifty bucks, Yvonne and that will come in handy for the casino. Pay up, bitch!" Abby sang cheerfully from the backseat.

"Why does she owe you money?" Olivia inquired. When she was met with silence, Olivia said, "Hello?"

"Just tell her Abby." Yvonne said with a snicker.

"Fine. But you can't get mad!" Abby retorted.

"Why would I get mad?" She asked with her eyes on the road.

"I bet Yvonne fifty bucks that if we said you weren't fun that you would do something to prove just how fun you actually are. A free trip is pretty damn fun. It's over the top and not at all what I expected, but it definitely is fun!" Abby chuckled.

"You two did what?" Olivia asked, completely bewildered. "So you guys don't really think I'm not fun?"

"Of course we don't! That's ridiculous."

"You're one of the most fun people I've ever met."

Olivia couldn't help it. In spite of herself, she grinned at her friends. She probably would have done the same thing in their place. "Hell yea, I'm fun!"

"You're not mad?" Yvonne asked.

"Not really. I mean, it's not like you two are brave enough to go parasailing, but it'll be fun to watch other people while we lay out in the sun." Reverse phycology was such a gift to the world.

"We're going parasailing! If you can do it then so can we!"

"Either way, we are going to have a great twenty-four hours!"

Two hours later, the three women walked into their cottage. It was really cute and just like Liv said, it was right on the water. Olivia dropped her bags and kept walking out the back door to get to the ocean. The other two women scrambled to claim bedrooms and quickly deposited their bags down and then joined Olivia outside.

It was a beautiful night on Fire Island. A warm breeze was blowing off the water and the sound of the crashing waves was mesmerizing. Olivia was in her other happy place and she stood there just enjoying the sights and sounds of it until her friends eventually joined her there. She turned to them and said, "I know that my life isn't the same now that I'm married to Fitz and have Lincoln and another baby on the way. But the two of you are my best friends and always will be, no matter what changes happen in my life. I'm thankful to have both of you."

Abby looked at Yvonne and said, "Pregnancy hormones are a bitch."

The three of them chuckled at the honest comment and Yvonne went to Olivia and gave her a hug. "We are a pretty great team. And all kidding aside, we are going to have a great time here. Because there is no way in hell we are going with you to a spa during your ninth month!"

The laughter grew louder between the three of them. They stood in the sand, side by side, looking out at the dark water with their arm around the woman next to them. "We are going to have a good time! I brought alcohol for the two of you to make sure!"

"Thanks for this, Liv. We love you, ya fun bitch." Abby chuckled. The three of them were still laughing as they walked inside.

The next afternoon, the three well rested women were laying out on the warm sand, enjoying the peace and quiet. They had enjoyed breakfast on the patio in their pajamas, all had checked in with their significant others, going into great detail about how beautiful it was at the beach. Olivia had facetimed with Lincoln and watched his little blue eyes light up when he saw her. She missed him terribly, but knew she would be seeing him later on tonight and that made it easier.

The women had already walked down to a few of the local shops to get their souvenir buying out of the way so they could enjoy the rest of the evening at the casino. Liv being pregnant was perfect because now they had a built in designated driver when they were done. And it was guilt free too.

The three of them laid in the sun for a while and Yvonne and Abby eventually did wander off to find someone to take them parasailing. When they came back Olivia was laying on her bed in the cottage, enjoying the air conditioning. She heard all about their adventure and the three of them made a pact to go parasailing the following summer together.

They each took turns showering and got dressed up for their last night out together on the island. Olivia had told Jason and Stephen to pack a sexy dress for Yvonne and Abby and explained what they would be doing. When the three of them were ready to go, they took pictures together and posted them to social media. The three of them looked good and were in the mood to win some money!

There was a knock on the door and the three of them looked at each other with questioning looks. "Well, it ain't the boogey man." Yvonne stated. "I'll go see who it is." She opened the door and a second later, squealed loudly.

"What the hell is wrong with her?" Abby demanded, before making her way to the door.

Three familiar faces walked into the cottage and all three women grinned. It was Jason, Stephen, and Fitz and they were dressed up too.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Olivia asked.

Fitz shrugged. "We missed the three of you."

"You look amazing." Jason said to Yvonne, causing her to giggle.

"And you shouldn't be wearing that dress out in public without me nearby." Stephen whispered in his wife's ear.

"So we talked to the owner and he gave us the cottage for one more night." Fitz added.

"Waitaminute! Who is watching Lincoln? He's never been away from us for a whole night."

"Relax, babe. Your parents came over to our house to watch him so he would be in his own space. I promised them we would be home by lunchtime tomorrow." He watched Olivia start to protest and held up a hand. "Relax, woman. They insisted. And they promised to call if they need us. He will be fine. Besides, in eight months he's going to have to spend a night away from us because we will be in the hospital having his brother or sister."

"That's a good point." She reluctantly admitted. "Okay, but you and I are leaving at the crack of dawn. Promise me, Fitz."

He grinned at his wife. She looked amazing in her little red dress. He was going to stick like glue to her knocked up ass. He wrapped his arms around her and pecked her lips. "Yes, dear. I promise."

She eyed him from head to foot appreciatively. He looked good in tight suit pants and a dress shirt. She hoped the walls in the cottage were sturdier than they looked. She was getting him naked the moment they got back from the casino!


	25. Talk To Me

_I apologize for the longer than normal wait for this chapter. My father in law passed away on Thursday & it's been a lot. I took the day off work yesterday to be with my husband, but he had his nose in his laptop trading stocks, so I grabbed mine & finished this chapter. All of my kids will be here as well as my grandkids so it's going to be a hectic weekend. Thank you for being patient with me. I hope to post at least two more chapters to the holiday one shot before Christmas, but we'll see. Enjoy!_

Talk To Me

"I just don't like this house, Fitz. It's not in a great neighborhood, the price is too high, and I don't like the layout." Olivia shrugged as she looked around the empty room of the fourth house that had been shown to them that week.

"Awww come on, Liv. We've looked at nine houses in the past six days. You find something not to like about every single one of them. We've got to find one before the baby gets here or life is going to get crazy as hell trying to move with a newborn! You've got to meet me halfway one some of your demands." Fitz was frustrated and already at his ropes end when it came to house hunting.

"You think I want to be packing boxes in between feeding a baby and chasing around your mini me?" She shot him a look that said otherwise. "I'm sorry but I'm not going to compromise the school my children go to just so we can be in a bigger house faster. And if I don't like the house that we are going to live in, what's the point?"

Fitz sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he held his mini me in his arms. "I understand what you're saying, but it's not like there are an endless number of houses available for sale that are within our price range, near decent schools, and are laid out like a queen's palace." He knew that last one was a dig, but it came out before he could stop it. He knew he was in trouble when he saw her face.

That was below the belt. And judging by the surprised look on his face, Olivia guessed that he knew it too. House hunting had turned them against each other, and Olivia didn't like it. Still, she wasn't backing down. "I don't know what to say to you right now. I'll be in the car, waiting to head back to my other palace." And with that, she walked out of the beautiful empty house.

Fitz looked at Lincoln and said, "Link, be a pal. Please make this terrible day better by just saying 'da da'." He watched his son grin at him, showing off his lone tooth, and reach a slobbery hand up to his father's cheek. "That's what I thought. You're on her side. So much for male bonding, ya traitor."

Lincoln blew a raspberry at his dad in response.

"Let's go get her majesty home. Don't tell her I said that. I'm a little scared of your mother when she's pregnant. Come on, buddy."

The drive home was a silent one and while both Fitz and Olivia hated it, neither was willing to break the ice or apologize. They both felt justified in the way they felt and didn't want to apologize for something they weren't sorry for. Marriage wasn't all fun and games, but they did love each other endlessly and Fitz reached over and held his wife's hand. The gesture was well received.

"Look, we'll start again fresh next week. It's not the end of the world that we didn't find one today. We'll get there sooner or later." He was trying to be upbeat and positive.

"I'm already eight weeks pregnant. I know we are on a time crunch right now, but we aren't going to spend a lot of money just to settle for less than what we want. A house is an investment and we have to plan wisely. I know we're not going to get everything we want in one house, but we should try to get as many as we can. Right? Besides, I think that when we see the house that's meant to be ours, we'll know." She didn't want to argue with him anymore. Him seeing reason would be helpful though.

"I'm in total agreement with the first part of that, but I'm not going to base choosing a house on a feeling. We know what we want. How many rooms, the basic size, and a big backyard. What are you going to do if a house speaks to you like a pair of shoes do, and it doesn't have enough bedrooms? Or is in an unsatisfactory school district? You see how basing a huge decision on feelings instead of a pre-determined checklist doesn't work?" Now houses were going to speak to her? Fitz wondered if he could just add on to the house they already lived in and call this insanity quits?

"Point taken. Here's something to think about though. How many kids do we want to have? We kind of need to know that in order to plan." Olivia was wondering, eagerly anticipating really, what his answer would be. "Is two the limit or are we going to have more than two? I mean, our detailed checklist has three bedrooms on it. What if we decide to have more kids later on? Are we going to buy another house then?"

The thought of looking for another house after finding the perfect one to pacify his wife of high standards and a house whisperer to boot made Fitz physically shiver. There was no way in hell he was going through this more than once with her! He wasn't about to step into the trap she had just set either. The best way to answer a question you don't really want to answer is by asking a question of your own. Besides, he didn't really know the answer to her question. Feeling intelligent for avoiding it, he asked "How many kids do you want to have?"

Olivia shrugged. "I don't know. I've never thought about it. Have you? I mean, I remember you telling me when we were dating that you wanted babies, but we never settled on a number. So, what's your number?"

Fitz chuckled. This was certainly not the topic of conversation he ever thought to have when asked 'what's your number' but it was a whole lot easier to discuss than the alternative. Keeping his eyes on the road, he thought about it for a minute. "I don't really have a specific number in mind. You know I love kids and kids love me. And you and I really do make perfectly beautiful babies. I'm happy with whatever number you have in mind. If you want to stop having babies after this one, I would be fine with that. If you want to have five more..."

"Hell, no!" Olivia interjected with conviction.

Fitz laughed. "Then that would be fine with me too. Do you know how many of each you want? Or have you thought about that?"

Olivia knew what she wanted, even if she didn't have any control over it whatsoever. "As a matter of fact, I have. I love Lincoln with all my heart, and if this baby is another boy I would be overjoyed. Honestly. Little boys are so much fun and they keep life interesting in every way."

"But?"

"But, I want at least one little girl, Fitz. If you get a mini me, I want one too. It's only fair and I don't think it's asking too much."

"Please tell me you aren't crying, babe. I can't just order you up a daughter." Fitz began to feel helpless in what was a no win situation. "Besides, what if we have to have four boys before we get a girl? Are you up for that?"

Olivia cried harder from the passenger seat. "I don't want five kids, Fitz!"

Fitz bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at her for crying over her own logic. He pulled into a grocery store parking lot, took off his seatbelt, and got out of the car. When he reached the passenger door, he opened it and unbuckled Olivia's seatbelt and took her hand, pulling her from the car and into his arms. "So, we won't have five kids. See, we settled on that. Look at us accomplishing things! Four boys wouldn't be the end of the world though."

That made her cry harder.

She mumbled something against his chest between her tears and Fitz had no idea what it was. So, he asked.

"I said they would all act like you and look like you and I'd be the only girl!"

Fitz grinned over her head at the happy thought of a house full of Grant boys. Right now, though, Olivia needed some support and encouragement and it was his job to provide it. He pulled his head back and put his index finger under her chin, gently drawing her face up to his. He wiped her tears away and kissed her forehead. "Though she be little, she is fierce. A house full of boys would be lucky to have you as their mother."

Olivia sniffed, but listened intently to the words her amazing husband was saying.

He smiled at her. "I don't care if we have a house full of boys or if Lincoln is our only son and we have a whole lot of girls from here on out. We are going to love our kids to the moon and back no matter what we have. And our lives are going to be fuller for having them. If you want to have four kids, then we'll have four. If you want to have less, I'm game for that too. My job in this world is to make you happy." He kissed her tenderly, lingering on her lips until he heard that contented sigh of hers, signaling that she was feeling better. "And I really love my job, babe."

Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Only Fitz could calm her irrational fears of things that hadn't even happened yet, and probably never would. The anger and frustration over house hunting that had spilled over into their conversation about babies melted away as they held each other. Why couldn't they just live in this perfect moment? She rubbed the hair on the back of his neck and said, "I love you so much. It's scary how much when I think about it."

"I love you too, Liv. It'll all work out. We'll find our dream palace with plenty of time to spare. We'll end up with at least one daughter, because I think there is some available space in the house somewhere that isn't full of female clothes yet..."

Olivia pinched him for his comments, but giggled.

"And no matter when she shows up, I promise we will have a little girl who will probably be bossy, impatient, loveable, and impeccably dressed just like her mother, who will steal our hearts and wallets. And she will most definitely be beautiful because she is ours, and let's face it, we are friggin gorgeous."

"And humble." Olivia said, rolling her eyes.

"And humble." He repeated with a chuckle. "But we aren't going to worry about any of that right now because it's out of our control. So, we are going to take our genetically gifted son to dinner where we will talk about what we realistically want in a house and where and settle on it. How does that sound?"

"You had me at dinner." Olivia said smiling.

"You're so easy."

"Hey! Take that back, Mister!"

He tilted his head and pursed his lips, looking down at her still flat belly. "I don't think I will. You are knocked up after all, and it really wasn't that difficult to do."

"Fitzgerald Grant!" Olivia exclaimed with wide eyes and not quite able to contain her laughter. "That is no way to speak to me."

"Tell me it's not true and I'll apologize." He grinned.

"I hate you." She said halfheartedly trying to pull away from him.

Fitz kept her close to his chest and replied, "No you don't. You love me. In fact, it's scary when you think about how much."

"I am never talking to you again." She threatened.

"You and I both know that's a lie, Mrs. Grant."

She shook her head defiantly back and forth with a determined look on her face.

Fitz dipped his head to her neck and whispered in her ear. "All I have to do is get you home," He pulled her earlobe into his mouth and sucked on it gently. "Take off your clothes," He ran his tongue along the column of her neck. "And get you..." He placed his lips on the skin behind her ear and heard her breath catch. "Well, anywhere. Up against a wall, in the shower, leaning over the sofa, in our bed. Pretty much anywhere and you will be screaming all kinds of dirty words along with my name."

Olivia was turning into a quivering mess right there in the parking lot where dozens of people most likely had seen their entire display. She could care less at the moment. God, she wanted her husband right now! She wanted him to take her home and make her scream. The thoughts of his magical fingers and truly gifted tongue, along with the rest of his damned near perfect anatomy doing whatever he wanted to her made Olivia's core ache with anticipation. "You win! Now kiss me."

He chuckled at her and looked around. "Liv, we're in a parking lot. Can't you keep it in your pants for ten minutes?"

"You think you're soooo funny." She shrugged. "Okay. Later on, when the thoughts of what you just mentioned are running through your mind and you are desperate for it, I'll look at my watch and say can't you keep it..."

The breath was quickly sucked out of her lungs as Fitz put one hand in the back of her hair and the other on her back and attacked her mouth. This crazy little woman was irresistible to him, and he usually looked forward to their little sarcastic spars, but the thought of Olivia telling him to keep it in his pants later on didn't bode well. He sucked on her bottom lip before he broke the kiss and watched her slowly open her eyes and look up at him like she was drunk. Someone across the parking lot clapped and yelled, "Get it, girl!"

Olivia kept her eyes on her husband and said loud enough for only him to hear, "Oh, I plan to."

"It really doesn't take much for you to get in the mood while you're pregnant does it?" He was grinning at her knowingly and before long, she was grinning back. He leaned down and pecked her lips once more. He helped her into her seat in the car and pulled her seatbelt. He slowly dragged it between her breasts, clicking it at her hip as he watched her face. He pecked her lips and said, "Change of plans. We are going home and Lincoln is going down for a nap. Right, Link?"

Lincoln happily babbled from the backseat.

"That's my boy! And then I'm going to put you into bed." He threatened. Fitz shut her door and strutted across the front of the car and got into his own seat. He looked over at his wife and asked, "Does that plan suit her majesty?"

She threw up her middle finger at him, and Fitz grabbed it, laughing, and kissed it.

They had no sooner pulled out of the parking lot, when Olivia's phone rang. She grabbed it from the cup holder and saw that it was Abby. "I wonder what SuperGirl wants?" Olivia said aloud.

"Put her on speakerphone." Fitz encouraged.

"Hello, Abby."

"Yea, hi. Skip the pleasantries. Look, I need to tell you some..."

"Hey, Abs. How are ya?"

She huffed loudly and exclaimed, "Who cares? I have news for the two of you if you'll stop trying to talk to me!"

"Well, stop bitching, and tell us what it is. You're on speakerphone, by the way."

"Great. I'll only have to explain it once. The people who live across the street from us are moving! Isn't that great?!"

"Yup. Great. Also, who cares?" Olivia said smiling, knowing it would irritate the short tempered red head. Fitz chuckled and reached for her hand.

"They are moving, Liv!"

"I heard you the first time. So what?"

"So, I thought you might want to come take a look at their house before it goes on the market? Don't the two of you want to come live across the street from your kind hearted, very helpful, very thoughtful best friend?"

"Oh, they are selling it? Why didn't you say so in the first place?"

"You make me tired! Look, they are meeting with a realtor next week to put it on the market. I only know about it because I talk to them every afternoon. I watch their place when they go on vacation. AND, Stephen has taking Larry golfing. That's the kind of neighbors we are. But if you don't want anything to do with us, then fine! Good luck searching high and low looking at houses that you hate the moment you see them, because they don't speak to you!"

"You're killing me, Abby! The house talking to her is a real thing? Come onnnnn!" Fitz whined.

"The house you are currently living in spoke to her and she bought it the same day. I don't even think she walked through the whole thing before she decided. That's what you're dealing with. Me? I look at the space and decide if I can wake up there every day and then go for it. Not your wife! So, the two of you can continue on the house hunting search and I'll just..."

"Are they home right now, Abs?" Fitz asked.

"Hang on, let me look out the window."

"That's the kind of neighbor she'll be! Snooping on us all the time!" Olivia said.

"Yea, but she can babysit for us whenever we wanna go out and get our freak on."

"The house is no longer for sale."

"What?" Fitz and Olivia said in unison.

"I'm not living across the street from the two of you and hearing wild animal sex noises on any given Tuesday night. Or accidentally seeing more of you than I ever want to."

"Animal sound night is Monday. And we reserve the right to flash our neighbors any time we want. If you need a reference, I'll give you our neighbor, Charles' number. He has lots of great stories to tell." Olivia giggled. When the line went silent, she politely asked, "Are you still there?"

After a few moments of silence, Abby stubbornly said, "No."

"What do you think, Liv? You want to drive by there and check it out? We could at least see the outside of the house. It might be worth seeing? And if they are home, maybe Abby can introduce us? After we moo at them..."

Olivia burst into wild laughter at his joke.

"...maybe we can arrange a day to walk through the house? Are you up for it?"

Olivia turned around to see the back of Lincoln's car seat. "Lincoln is going to want a bottle any minute now. The fact that he isn't screaming his little head off yet is kinda surprising."

"I have a couple of bottles that the hospital sent home with you. I ended up with one of the four diaper bags they gave you in there." Abby commented.

"Really? But those bottles are like two ounces. He eats way more than that now."

Once again, Abby sighed. "I have four of them. If that isn't enough to fill that small kid up, then you need to start feeding him real food!"

"Fine! We'll be there in about fifteen minutes. Will you heat them up for him, so that when we get there they'll be ready for my tiny angel?"

"Tiny angel? That kid is the spitting image of Fitz. Good luck with that tiny angel crap!"

Fitz laughed from behind the wheel. "Abby, you really are a SuperGirl! Thank you for taking care of all of us. We'll see you shortly. Bye."

"Whatever weirdos."

As if he had understood the word bottle, Lincoln began to whine from his car seat. A minute later, it turned into a full on meltdown. Fitz looked at Olivia and said, "Awww, mini me is starving back there."

"Imagine what life will be like when he's a teenager! We will both have to get part time jobs just to keep him fed." She chuckled. Olivia rubbed her belly and said, "If this one is another boy, we are going to have to get second full time jobs. I've heard horror stories about how much teenage boys eat."

"As a former teenage boy, I can tell you that we are always hungry. Growth spurts are a bitch on the wallet, I'm sure." Fitz remarked.

Fitz honked the horn when they pulled up into the driveway, signaling that the tiny angel was freaking out for food. She must have known what it meant because she met them outside with an itty bitty bottle. When Olivia reached for it as Fitz took Lincoln out of the car, Abby held it behind her back with a daring look on her face. "Give him to me, Liv."

"What? Why?"

"Because you people live with him every single day. I only get to see Lincoln occasionally and I want to feed him so we can visit for a minute. Give him to me. Now!" Abby demanded, with her hand on her hip.

Fitz looked between both women, trying to figure out which one he was most afraid of. Agreeing with Abby's logic, he passed the small screaming head of curls to his aunt and watched her face light up the minute he was in her arms. "Hey there, Munchin. Are they starving my poor sweet boy?"

Lincoln stopped crying and sniffed, and ended up giving her a smile.

"That's better. That handsome face should never be sad. I made you something to eat. Are you ready for it?" She held Lincoln in the crook of her arm and made an airplane noise as she zoomed the bottle towards his mouth. When it made contact, Lincoln held onto it and drank heartily.

Fitz and Olivia watched with fascination at Abby's maternal side they hadn't known existed until now. "You should think about having one of your own" Olivia remarked.

Abby kept her eyes on Lincoln, but quietly said, "Stephen and I might be in the beginning phase of talking about it." Olivia squealed loudly, but stopped when Abby cut her eyes up at her friend. "I said Stephen and I. When we have reached a decision, you'll be the first to know. Until then, we don't talk about it."

She looked back down at Lincoln, who was just about done with this bottle. Abby started walking towards her front door to give him the second tiny bottle that was waiting for him inside. She took the bottle away and he began to cry. "Hey, hey, hey. That's not how we act for aunt Abby. Cool it, short stuff." Lincoln stopped crying and grinned at her.

Olivia and Fitz stared at each other with shocked open mouths. How the hell had she just done that?

She put him on her shoulder and began patting his back, still walking toward the kitchen as his parents followed close behind in stunned silence. As soon as a loud belch ripped from his mouth, Abby put the second bottle in Lincoln's mouth, jerked her chin toward a window, and said, "The house is over there. Go take a look and leave us alone."

The still surprised couple, went to the window the redhead had pointed out to them and pulled the sheer curtain back to see the house in question. It was a Victorian house that looked like it had been remodeled fairly recently. The color of the house was cream with hunter green trim. It wasn't Olivia's favorite color coupling, but that could be changed. Olivia looked over her shoulder and asked, "What does it look like inside?"

"It's gorgeous. The house has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a laundry room, a playroom, and a full basement. It's ridiculous how much space is in there. Jeez, this kid is already looking for the third bottle." Looking down at Lincoln she replied, "We're gonna have to buy you a cow, short stuff. It'd be cheaper."

"Little man Lincoln is here!" Stephen exclaimed, walking into the room and seeing Abby holding him. "Why doesn't anybody tell me anything around here?"

"Because you're as bad as Liv when it comes to him. You're both baby hogs! Right, Munchkin?"

"You can say that again." Fitz echoed from the window.

"What the hell are the two of you looking at over here?" Stephen asked.

"The house across the street." Olivia replied with her eyes glued on it.

"Oh yea, the Mueller place. It would be amazing if the thr...four of you became our neighbors! Do you want to go inside? I can arrange that, you know?"

"I really like the outside. At least what I can see of it. I'd love to walk through it and see what the interior looks like. Maybe you can arrange it for next week?"

"I can arrange it for today. Right now, Liv." Stephen proudly boasted.

"I'm sure they are busy packing everything up. It's last minute too. Next week will be fine."

"Actually, Larry is at home by himself right now. Rebecca and the girls are gone for a few hours to visit her mother. I can call him to ask, but I'm sure he won't mind a bit. He's a very mellow guy. I don't know how, living in a house full of females, but there we are. Hold on." Stephen pulled out his cell phone and made the call.

"And don't worry about Lincoln. He's practically out right now. This last bottle should knock his lights out. If it works out, take your time and look through it. I'll keep Lincoln here with me." Abby offered.

"Baby hog." Fitz muttered.

"It's fine with him." Stephen said excitedly. "Come on, I'll take you over there right now. I really think you'll love it."

The three adults walked outside into the sunshine together and crossed the street. Stephen was telling them what he knew about the house on the walk over. Larry met them at the bottom of the few steps and shook Fitz and Olivia's hands as Stephen introduced them to each other. "Nice to meet ya." Larry said with a kind smile. "I hear you're looking to buy?"

"Yes, Sir. Something a little bigger than what we're in right now." Fitz explained.

"Do you have kids? This house loves kids."

"We do. We have an eight month old son and one on the way, as a matter of fact."

"Congratulations. Nothing in life more important than family." Larry stated with conviction.

"I couldn't agree more." Fitz said putting his arm around his wife. "Can I ask why you and your family are moving?

"Sure, sure. I just got a promotion at work."

"That's great. Congratulations." Fitz shot back.

"The job is in Chicago." Larry informed them.

"Ohhh. That's unfortunate." Olivia said sympathetically. "I hope they offered you a lot more money along with it?"

"They did. And they will pay our moving expenses. The wife's not thrilled about moving, but what can we do about it? Well, you're welcome to come inside and take a look around. Stay as long as you want. I'm no realtor, but feel free to walk anywhere you like. It's not the cleanest at the moment; there are a lot of boxes everywhere. But you should get the basic idea of the house and see if it's something the both of you are interested in. I'll be around, so if you have any questions just come and find me." Larry gave them a smile and headed off to the kitchen to fix himself something to drink and left the three of them to it.

Olivia walked into the spacious living room and looked up at the vaulted ceiling. She squeezed her husband's hand and giddily asked, "Did you hear that?"

Not having any idea what Olivia meant, Fitz turned his gaze from the detailed workmanship that was everywhere in the house to look at her. "Hear what?" He asked.

"This house is really talking to me." She whispered.

"Yea, me too. It's freaking me out in the best way." He admitted and squeezed her hand back as they continued their leisurely walk through of it.


	26. A Pretty Great Day

_I hope each of you had a wonderful Christmas and are enjoying a wonderful 2018. Thank you for your patience with this update. I hope to get back into the swing of things now that the holidays are behind us. Thank you for reading_

A Pretty Great Day

"When you know, you know." Fitz patiently explained with a huge smile on his face. He was packing up the art from the living room walls while Olivia boxed up the DVD's. Lincoln was taking a nap so the two adults were enjoying the quiet by finishing up the living room, with the exception of the items the small family would need for the next few days.

The house across the street from Abby turned out to be a steal and Larry, being in a pinch to move his family to Chicago, quickly accepted their offer. Larry went by the old policy of 'any friend of Stephen's is a friend of mine'. Olivia and Fitz had met and had dinner with Larry and Rebecca and the four of them hit it off immediately. The truth was, Fitz and Olivia were kind of sad to see them move. Not sad enough to not buy their house though. They had closed on it at the beginning of the week and had plans to round up the troops, with bribery of food of course, to move everything into the new house on Saturday. That gave them three days to get everything packed.

Olivia put her hand on her hip and shot her husband a look. "I'm sorry, what did you just say?"

Without turning around to look at her, Fitz replied, "What can I say, the place spoke to me."

She shot him a quizzical look. "Really? This from the man who mocked me when I, and Abby I might add, explained to him that a house can talk to me? What was it you said?" Olivia did her best Fitz impersonation. "Choosing a house based on feeling instead of a pre-determined checklist doesn't work? Yea, I'm pretty sure those were your exact words. But now all of a sudden you're a..." She made a sweeping motion in the air with her hand trying to find the right words. "House whisperer?"

Fitz laughed loudly and then remembered that his son was still asleep and clamped his lips closed. "All I'm saying is that I know what you meant now when you said 'when you know, you know'."

Olivia grinned at him and dropped the box of DVD's, walking towards him. When she reached her husband, she wound her arms around his neck and looked up lovingly at him. She was excited that they had found their new house. That things were going to be in place well before the baby arrived. Another happy thought was that they hadn't killed each other in the process. She was also feeling very playful. "You know, you're very cute when you admit that I'm right."

He caught the light tone in his wife's voice and decided a break for both of them was needed. His arms found their way around her growing waist and he looked down at her lovingly, yet teasingly and said, "Yea? How cute?"

She frowned at him, catching Fitz off guard. "Did I say cute? The word I meant to say was sexy. You're very sexy when you admit that I'm right."

His eyebrows went skyward but he grinned devilishly at her. "Sexy huh? I would have taken cute, but sexy is so much better."

"Shut up and kiss me, husband." She commanded, already closing her eyes and getting up on her tiptoes to reach his lips at least part of the way.

"Yes, ma'am." He murmured, before capturing her lips quickly.

Second trimester Olivia was back with every amazing thing that included. Pregnancy ass was getting here a lot faster than it showed up with Lincoln, much to Fitz's happy surprise. Her hormones for him were in overdrive all the time, but instead of being turned off and complaining about exhaustion from all the sex she demanded, he remembered that the third trimester would be here soon and she wouldn't want him near as much. He planned on taking advantage of the hormonal middling months at every delicious opportunity.

The two crazy in love, hormonally charged, mostly adults were wrapped up in each other's arms and headed toward their bedroom to push each other across the sexual finish line when someone knocked on the door. Fitz already had his shirt off and Olivia's pants were rolled down over her hips when the pair breathlessly pulled apart and looked toward the door.

"Who the hell is that with the bad timing?" Olivia whispered to her husband. Fitz put his hand over Olivia's mouth to silence her from saying anything further. She knit her brows together and pushed his hand away. "What are you doing that for?"

"Shhhhh! Whoever it is will hear you and we have wild and crazy things to do to each other right now. We are not answering the door."

The knocking continued on their front door.

"If they hit that doorbell it will wake up mini Fitz. Do you really want that or would you rather go see who it is and get rid of them quickly so we can go do wild and crazy things to each other while Lincoln keeps sleeping?" She watched Fitz think over what she had just said.

He leaned down and pecked her lips. "That's why I keep you around, babe. You are a fucking genius! Let's go toss them out on their ass. No listening to their spiel. We aren't buying, or converting, or whatever the hell it is that they have to offer. The answer is no." He left her side to retrieve his shirt and pulled it over his head as he continued to talk. "Once the door is closed again, it's back to wild and crazy. Deal?"

More knocking on the front door. Both of them shot the door a hate filled look.

Olivia put her hand on the back of his neck and pulled him down to her so she could kiss him again. "Deal. Let's go get rid of them fast. There's this thing I want you to try."

Fitz deepened the kiss and grabbed her ass, releasing her on an agitated groan when the knocking grew impatient. "Whatever it is, I'm all over it. God, I love my constantly horny pregnant little nympho." He followed Olivia to the door and right before she opened it, he mildly suggested, "You might want to pull up your pants?"

Caught off guard, Olivia stepped behind the door and pulled up her leggings as her insane husband opened the door and happily greeted whoever it was. She stayed put for a few moments, listening to him talk to their visitor and enjoyed the view of Fitz's butt. She reached over and slowly ran her hand over it and watched him jump from the surprise of it.

"Oh, I was just about to ring the doorbell." The visitor told Fitz.

"I'm really glad you didn't, Sir. We have a little boy who is napping right now. That would have woken him up and then I would have had to kick your ass." Fitz joked. Kinda.

The man took a step back and his eyes went wide. "I'm glad I didn't then."

"Me too! Oh, here's my wife now." Fitz pulled her from behind the door to his side, shooting her a look, and held her hand to prevent it from wandering again. "Olivia, this is...?"

The stranger smiled. "Brian McConnell. Nice to meet you." He shook her hand with a smile on his face and passed her his business card.

Olivia didn't care who he was. He needed to go. Now. She had big plans with naked Fitz and he was screwing them up by chatting to them. "Nice to meet you too." She chirped.

"I'm here to let you know that there has been an offer on your house. This house. A sizable one, I might add." Mr. McConnell informed.

"I don't understand." Olivia said. "Why isn't our realtor telling us this news instead of you? No disrespect intended."

"None taken." He said smiling brightly. "Your realtor is actually in the hospital."

This news took Olivia and Fitz by surprise. "Is she alright? What happened?"

"She'll be fine. She broke her leg when she went water skiing yesterday. I'm her associate and our boss asked me to take care of the two of you. It seems this offer came early this morning and the buyer is very keen on owning this particular house." He explained.

"What was the offer?" Fitz asked.

Mr. McConnell handed him a piece of paper with the amount written on it. Olivia gasped. Fitz was at a loss for words. They stood there in silence staring at the numbers that were written in neat handwriting.

"I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth or anything, but why would they offer so much money? I'm grateful, but I don't understand." Olivia confessed.

"Apparently, years ago, this house belonged to the parents of the person making the offer. His mother passed away from cancer when he was a boy and his father had passed even earlier than that. Everything was sold, including the house, and the boy was sent to live with relatives in Oregon. When he found out it was up for sale, he jumped at the chance to have it in his possession once again. I'm sure you understand?" Mr. McConnell asked.

"Of course. That makes sense. But why offer so much money?" Fitz asked. "It's not necessary."

"The man knew several offers had already been made for this house. He didn't want to deal with countless offers and counter offers and all the rigamarore and time that would take. He knew that this amount would ensure that the house would be his. He's very determined to attain it and has the financial means to make it happen. He hoped you wouldn't be offended by his offer but would understand the reason behind it?"

Mr. McConnell looked between Olivia and Fitz. There was something strange going on between the current owners and he wasn't sure he wanted to know what it was? Mr. Grant's hair was severely mussed and Mrs. Grant had swollen lips with hair out of place as well. He had witnessed the roaming hands between them as they stood in the doorway talking, and came to the realization that the couple had no idea that they were behaving this way in front of a stranger. As the young couple spoke to each other, a dark thought crossed Mr. McConnell's mind. Had he interrupted them from an afternoon...? Surely not! Mrs. Grant appeared to be about four or five months pregnant and had a little belly poking out from under her top.

And then he remembered what his own wife had been like around that time of her pregnancy years ago. He definitely had interrupted them! He had to get out of here fast! Mr. McConnell cleared his throat, avoided looking either of them in the eye, and wrapped it up. "Think about the offer and get in touch with me after the two of you have discussed it. Have a good..." He swallowed before finishing his sentence. "afternoon."

Fitz gave the man on his porch a big knowing smile. "Thank you. You too."

Once the door was shut, Olivia squealed loudly and jumped into her husband's arms, peppering his face with kisses. "Ohmygod! Can you believe that?"

Fitz was palming her ass and strutting them towards their bedroom as he looked at his wife's happy beautiful face. It was clear she was for the sell. He dropped her unceremoniously onto their bed and then pounced on top of her body with a happy grin of his own. Olivia's hands were in his hair, massaging his scalp. "Do you know what this means for our little family?"

Fitz leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. He lifted his head and said, "I do. It means my incredibly sexy wife only has to work three days a week now." When she squealed happily again, Fitz realized her happiness was contagious and he gave her his best smile. "It means Lincoln will have his mom home with him two days a week. It means that dinner had better be on the table by five o'clock every..."

Olivia yanked him down and attacked his mouth. She knew he was messing with her and forgave him for his fake caveman tirade. She was ecstatic for all the reasons he had mentioned and for a few he didn't. They were getting a bigger house that was still pretty close to their budget and it was near Abby and Stephen. The house had plenty of rooms if they decided to have more kids later on, too. The other reasons were getting hazy as her husband's mouth had her breathing heavily and his hands were building fires on her skin that she hoped burned for a long time. She wrapped her legs around his waist when he pulled away from her quickly.

"Did you see the look in his eyes towards the end?" Fitz chuckled.

"What? No. I mean, what look? Who cares about that right now?" She demanded.

"He knew what we had been up to before he knocked on the door. I've seen that look on Charles' face a million times." Fitz watched the shocked expression cross his wife's face and it made him laugh. "I don't know why you're surprised? You were rubbing my ass right in front of him, Liv."

Olivia covered her face with her hands and giggled.

"Poor guy probably hasn't gotten laid in years." He pried her hands away from her face and pecked her lips through his grin. "You need to learn how to behave like a lady."

She smiled seductively at him. "Is that really what you want? Me behaving like a lady?"

His wife certainly didn't need lessons on how to turn him on. She was sexy as hell and he loved her just the way she was.

"Because I'm pretty sure ladies don't..." She leaned up to his ear and whispered something that had him hard as iron in a second. She was the one grinning mischievously when she pulled away from him and laid her head down on the pillow.

"Fuuuuuck no!" He growled. He pulled her to sitting up and tugged her shirt over her head, flinging it behind him and not caring where it had landed. "You're trying to kill me, aren't you? So you and the kids can live in the new house without me?" He waited for her reply.

Olivia laughed at him. "Of course not. But I can't believe this all started out with a business card."

Fitz played with a few strands of her hair and said, "You know, that's how all the really great stories start out."

"You're such a hopeless romantic, babe. I love that about you."

"Now, about that unladylike thing. I'd very much like to see it in action please."

"And a perv, too." She giggled. "Good thing I love that about you too." And she disappeared under the sheet.

An hour later, Fitz emerged from their bedroom with a pep in his step and a grin plastered on his face. Olivia was passed out and he was pretty proud to take sole responsibility for her exhaustion. I still got it, he thought to himself as he puffed out his chest. When he reached his son's door he saw him on his belly in his crib babbling away. Fitz smiled and stepped into the room for a man to man chat.

Lincoln was startled by his father's sudden presence and jerked his head toward him. When he realized who it was he grinned widely and kicked his legs with excitement.

Fitz reached into the crib, picked up his son, and kissed his cheek. "How long have you been awake, Link? You didn't hear your mommy screaming, did you? You know what? Don't tell me if you did."

Lincoln blew a raspberry at his father.

Fitz carried Lincoln to the diaper stacker and grabbed one of the dozen he found and passed it to his boy. The baby immediately put it in his mouth as his daddy carried him to the changing table. Fitz laid him down and began unsnapping the onesie. "Did you have a good nap?"

Lincoln babbled with the diaper in his mouth.

"You did? What did you dream about? Anything interesting?" Fitz pulled off the diaper his curly haired son was wearing and threw it in the trash can. Then he took the one Lincoln was holding and put it under his butt and fastened it on his hips. Once his onesie was snapped up, Fitz picked Lincoln up and sat down in the rocker with him.

Lincoln stared at his dad for a moment before reaching out to touch his eyebrows.

Fitz laughed and informed him, "You'll get some soon too. In fact, you'll get hair where you really don't want it. And that is not a mommy moment, okay? As a matter of fact, once you reach a certain age, you won't need to tell your mother too much of anything half of the time. She's not going to know anything about what you're dealing with. You come to your dad. Erections popping up out of nowhere, shaving your face, your voice changing. All of that is dad stuff. At that point, your mom is only in charge of your clothes." Fitz laughed.

"What are you telling my little angel?" A voice from the doorway challenged.

Fitz looked in her direction. His wife was leaning up against the door frame with her arms crossed in front of her, wearing the t-shirt he had on earlier. "Man stuff. Stuff you wouldn't understand." He explained.

"Really?" She asked, walking into the room. "I know all about erections popping up out of nowhere because I'm married to you and that happens all the time. Shaving your face can't really be that much different from shaving your legs or other much more sensitive lady areas."

"Okay, smartass. But what about when his voice changes?" Fitz challenged her with a look of defiance.

She thought about it for a moment and hesitantly relented. "Fine. You can have that one."

Fitz laughed at her.

"But do not tell my son he won't need me once he reaches a certain age. He will need my help with girls, and school, and...all sorts of things." She huffed.

"I'm sorry, babe. If it makes you feel better, he told me he heard you screaming earlier."

"Fitzgerald Grant! That's not funny!" Olivia snatched Lincoln from his father's arms and snuggled him close to her chest.

Lincoln wasn't really interested in snuggling and tried to get out of her grasp. Fitz watched but said nothing, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. Lincoln looked over at his father, held out his chubby little arms, and said, "Dadadadadada" repeatedly.

It took a moment for Fitz to realize what he was saying. His eyes popped open wide and he quickly took Lincoln from his mother, much to her irritation. "Did you just hear that? Link said 'dadada' and it's the best thing I've ever heard in my life! Say it again, son! Say dada." Fitz coaxed.

Lincoln looked at his mother and then at his father, grinning and silent. He would say it again when he was ready to say it. He enjoyed watching his daddy freak out though.

Fitz held him up in the air and said, "Say dada and we'll go to the car dealership right now and buy a car you can drive when you're sixteen."

Lincoln understood that! "Dadadadadada" he happily chirped.

Fitz put Lincoln on his hip and started walking out of the room at a brisk pace, leaving Olivia behind to wonder if he was serious or not. She scrambled to the living room to see her insane husband putting their son into his car seat. "Where are you going, Fitz?"

He gave his wife a confused look and in a serious tone said, "Me and Link are going to the car dealership. We should be back in a couple of hours. Who knows how long it will take him to pick out a car though? I'll call you when we're headed home so you can make dinner."

Olivia chuckled at him. "You are not going to buy him a car!"

"Yea, I didn't really think that one through did I?" He grimaced. "I need to choose my words more carefully around him from now on. I've got to do something special for him though. He just said his first word, and it was a pretty epic moment for me."

"This baby has got to be a girl. I cannot do this with three of you." She muttered to herself.

"What'd you say?" He asked her.

"Nothing. Let's take him out to get an ice cream?" She offered.

"Really? You're gonna let Lincoln eat an ice cream all by himself?"

Olivia nodded.

"Without wiping his face off every three seconds?" He asked unconvinced.

"I said I'd let him eat an ice cream. If I want to wipe off his cute face every other second, I will. Are you ready to go?" She spat out, grabbing her purse.

"We're ready. But you might want to put some pants on? I won't complain if you want to go get ice cream in that, but some people might." When she stood there with her hand on her hip he added, "Come on, Liv! When he finds out he's getting ice cream instead of a car, that's your mommy moment." He looked down at the bundle of wild curls sitting happily in his car seat. "One more time, Link. Say dada."

Lincoln happily complied and babbled dada while he kicked his little feet back and forth.

Olivia looked down at her bare legs, closed her eyes, and looked up to the ceiling. "A little girl this time. Please!"

At the ice cream parlor, Fitz ordered a scoop of vanilla for Lincoln and a double scoop of chocolate chip for himself after his wife ordered. Olivia gave him a questioning look and he shot her a lopsided grin and said, "What? I burned a lot of calories today." Her face grew heated from embarrassment and Fitz chuckled and pulled her to his side.

The three of them sat down at one of the tables inside and Fitz fed small spoon fulls of vanilla to Lincoln. He seemed to love the taste of it and always had his mouth open ready for more before his father had the chance to scoop more for him. He became whiney every time he saw his father lick his own ice cream cone and it made Fitz laugh. "Chill out, Link. It's coming."

"He's getting it all over himself." Olivia noted as she watched Lincoln's eyes become riveted to the small plastic white spoon her husband was holding. "He's going to need a bath when we get home. Aren't you sweet boy?"

"A little ice cream on your face never killed anybody. Besides, this was much cheaper than a car." He fed Lincoln some more of the cold treat. "So. When do you plan to tell the other partners about your plan to cut back on your work schedule?"

Olivia licked her dripping cone and shrugged. "Probably next week. The extra few days will be helpful to get the new house put into order and to set up the nursery. We've got to buy another crib and dresser and, ohmygod, I'm already tired just thinking about it."

Fitz took her hand on the table and said, "Let's just wait until we find out what we're having. It's how we did it the last time and that seemed to work out really well. Has the ultrasound been scheduled yet?"

"It's on the calendar at home. I think it's August fifth or sixth? It's sometime that week. Just two weeks from now." Olivia looked over at Lincoln whose eyes were beginning to droop. She quickly wiped his mouth and hands with a baby wipe and watched him get still again. "Have you thought any more about what you want this baby to be?"

Now that his son was asleep, Fitz was leisurely enjoying the last of his cone. "Nah. It really doesn't matter to me as long as he or she is healthy. That's all I care about. What about you?"

"I really want a daughter, but I have to say, if this one is another boy..." She looked lovingly at Lincoln and then back at her husband. "I honestly wouldn't be disappointed at all. He is such a great baby. The second one has to be just as good, right?"

Fitz threw the last bit of his cone into his mouth and chewed it up. He stood up and grabbed the handle of the car seat with one hand and his wife's hand with the other and the three of them headed for the car. "Of course. He's a Grant and we're all pretty damned great."

"That's so true. We really are." She said smiling and laid her head on Fitz's shoulder.


	27. The Best Male Grant Ever

The Best Grant Ever

It turned out that the man who wanted to buy Fitz and Olivia's house, was in a bit of a rush to make it his. He paid all closing costs and any other costs necessary in order to make the ownership a smooth transition for everyone involved. It was agreed that Fitz and Olivia would be out of the house by the end of the month, giving them just a week to make sure nothing had been left behind. The young excited couple was fairly certain nothing would be forgotten, but planned to do a walk through of it together after all of their friends had been properly used to move everything they owned into the new house.

They called everyone who had helped move Fitz in with Olivia a few years ago and each one of them agreed to help, with the obligatory amount of bitching about it. Jason claimed he had hurt his shoulder but would be there with Yvonne. Thad had said no and hung up on his brother abruptly. When Robin called back moments later she told Fitz that his little brother would be there so she could enjoy some quiet time. Rob acted like it was the end of the world, but said he would help. Charlie and Quinn had an appointment at the gun range, but said they would come over when they were done. Stephen was the most excited about helping them move into the house across the street. The two of them had big plans to use one of the rooms in the new house as a man cave. And of course, all four parents were on board.

Early Saturday morning Fitz decided to keep with another tradition of theirs, moving day sex. Olivia was all for it and the two of them were enjoying themselves when loud knocking could be heard coming from the front door. Olivia giggled and told her husband, "Ten bucks says that's Abby."

"She's gonna...have to, mmm, wait two minutes." Fitz panted out.

"It's a nice day out." Olivia moaned. "Oh god...She'll be...She'll be fine. Just don't stop."

The knocking became louder & the two breathless adults could hear the redhead screaming outside. "I know you're in there screwing! Open the damned door!"

Olivia giggled while Fitz concentrated on finishing the job at hand.

Five minutes later, Fitz threw on a shirt and some shorts and went to the door, opening it widely. He was met with a glaring redhead who had Stephen standing behind him grinning like a mad man. Abby pushed past him and walked angrily into the house. "Why can't the two of you stay off of each other for five minutes?"

Fitz chuckled and asked, "Have you seen my wife? She's hot." Stephen very quietly gave his friend a high five.

"Thanks, babe." Olivia chirped, as she came into the living room. "Abby, you wouldn't be so crabby if you got laid more often."

Stephen didn't quite control the chuckle before it escaped his mouth. Abby shot him a venomous look and he quickly cleared his throat and said, "She is crabby for another reason altogether, Liv." He looked at his fiery wife and sweetly asked, "Can I tell them? Please?"

"Tell us what? Now that we've got the house across the street the two of you are moving?" Olivia chuckled.

Abby stuck her tongue out at her best friend but nodded at her husband.

Stephen went to his wife's side and put his arm around her. "Abby and I have decided to start a family. We are very actively trying to get pregnant. So, no more digs about our sex life. The practice alone is mind boggling." Abby flung her arm up at his chest with a shocked smile on her face.

"That's so great! Lincoln will have a redheaded cousin soon!" Olivia ran to her friend and hugged her tightly while jumping up and down. "I'm so excited for you guys! You're gonna look so cute with a baby bump." Olivia's eyes grew wide and she added, "Once you're pregnant, we can go shopping! Ohmygod, go home and practice some more!"

"Too late." Abby said with a small grin. "We took care of that before we came over here."

"Then what the hell is your problem, banging on my door, trying to prevent me from getting mine you greedy bitch?" Olivia joked.

"You are already pregnant. Again. The two of you are like wild rabbits! Anyways, we are done talking about this. I don't want to bring it up in front of everyone else. At least until I'm officially pregnant." She pointed at Fitz. "You! Why isn't there food yet?"

Fitz grinned at her, "Had a good work out this morning and now you're hungry, huh?"

Stephen turned red and pressed his lips together as hard as he could. Abby pushed her face into her husband's chest, chuckling but mortified.

"I can relate. I'm on it."

"I'm gonna go check on short stuff."

"Wake him up and I will..."

"I'm not gonna wake him up! Relax." She was totally gonna wake him up.

Two by two the others straggled in, griping about how hot it already was outside. No one had a problem with the mountain of food Fitz cooked for them, and the herd ate ravenously in between pots of coffee. While they chewed, Fitz addressed the group.

"We want to thank you all once again for helping us move into our new house. We are very excited and I hope to hell this is the very last time I have to feed you all for helping." Loud cheers could be heard throughout the kitchen. "Olivia is going to start out here making sure everything gets loaded, but at some point, she will end up at the other house to make sure everything gets put where her majesty wants it." He winked at her. "We have one week to make sure the place is completely empty. When everything is dropped off at the new house, AND all of my things that have been sitting in storage for years, finally get to see the light of day and are taken to the new house where the man cave will be available for everyone, except Rob."

Rob threw his friend the bird.

"Olivia and I want to take all of you out for dinner as our way of saying thank you." More loud cheering from the group. "We'll have to wait until we're settled in, but by the end of the summer for sure. Now. Please don't make me have to deal with a pissed off wife later by breaking our shit when you move it. If the box says fragile that means be careful with it. Jason!" Everyone laughed as the memory of him breaking a lamp during the last move.

"Don't be mean to my boo boo." Yvonne cooed. Wadded up napkins were thrown at her amidst sickening groans.

Abby and Olivia pushed Jason out of his seat next to Yvonne and plopped down on either side of her. The three of them half heartedly listened to Fitz's instructions. "I can't believe this house sold so fast." Yvonne whispered. "You're so lucky!"

"I know, right. The guy who bought it wasn't playing around. He had to have it." Olivia said, with her eyes on her husband.

"Just like Olivia this morning." Abby joked.

"Shut up, Abby. You got laid this morning too, if memory serves?" Olivia teased.

"Seriously?" Yvonne asked. "Don't the two of you get sick of each other?"

"Ummm, look at my man and ask me that again." Olivia giggled.

"Good point." Yvonne conceded.

"Besides, when I'm in the second trimester, all I want is sex with him. It's like what an addict must feel like."

"Really?" Abby asked with budding interest.

Olivia eyed her husband, and watched him using his hands while he spoke. When he turned around to point out something behind him, a little moan tumbled out of her lips. Her two friends cut their eyes at her with knit brows. "What? He's...just...sexy! I can't help it!" The three women giggled.

Fitz turned his head in their direction with clean annoyance. "Are we really gonna do this again, Liv? I'm trying to make this move easier for all of us. I know I shouldn't ask this, because I'm scared of the answer, but what is so funny over there?"

"She was checking out your ass. And drooling a little." Abby supplied with a grin.

He looked around the room at the snickering faces of their friends. He spread his hands and said, "Well, I asked." A grin covered his handsome face and Fitz went to where his wife was perched on a bar stool. He held out his hand and she slipped hers inside it. Fitz took her into his arms while everyone except Abby and Yvonne quickly left the room. The two women stayed put to watch the show.

Fitz grinned at his wife and said, "You're gonna have to behave yourself in front of our friends and family, Liv."

"Why?" She asked in a challenging tone.

"Because my mother is here. And yours is too." He chuckled.

"Are we talking about behaving like a lady again?" She asked with a glint in her eye.

"What does that mean?" Yvonne whispered to Abby.

"It's code for something really dirty, I can just about promise you." Abby quietly replied.

"It's not my fault you're so ridiculously handsome." Olivia saw her friends shaking their heads but ignored them. "Besides, it's the second trimester and you know what that does to me." She wiggled her eyebrows.

Fitz flicked his eyes up to Abby and Yvonne and saw the amusement they were not ashamed of. He wasn't ashamed either. They were all adults after all. "I am well aware of that happy fact and if we didn't have a house full of people I would be more than happy to oblige you, but you're gonna have to wait until lunchtime at least."

"You guys are beyond ridiculous." Abby threw in.

"You make wild rabbits look abstinent." Yvonne said. The two of them got up and went outside to join the sane people.

"We got rid of them." Olivia chuckled. "Now about that obliging thing."

"What about it? There's nothing I can do right now."

"I can't wait until lunchtime. I have to have you now." She said licking her lips.

Fitz took her hand and led her to their bedroom and locked the door. She'd want him again at lunchtime but he wasn't going to complain. They'd get moved in one day this week.

Hours later, a lot of the big furniture had been moved to the new house and Olivia was there to make sure everything was put in the room she wanted it to be. Brown boxes were stacked up all throughout the house too. She was beginning to feel giddy about the task of unpacking and setting things where she and Fitz wanted them. She knew it would be a big undertaking too, but knowing that very soon she would be home four days a week instead of two made it so much more bearable.

Moving into the new house, selling the old one, the upcoming ultrasound appointment, keeping up with Lincoln as well as her own health was a lot. The new baby would be here before they knew it and everything he or she would need had to be taken care of as soon as the couple learned the sex of their unborn baby. It made Olivia more thankful for their family and friends who were always there to lend a hand to them.

"That goes in Lincoln's room." Olivia told Rob when he walked into the house carrying parts of the crib.

"Where the hell is that?" He asked.

"Upstairs. Second door on the right." She directed. "You can't miss it. There's lots of baby stuff in there."

Quinn and Charlie walked into the living room and hugs were exchanged between the three of them. "This place is beautiful! And huge! Where do you want us?" She asked.

Olivia looked around, trying to decide. "If you want, I'd love it if you would put Lincoln's crib together? He's going to need a nap before long and it would be great to have it set up before then?"

"We can do that. Which room is his?"

"Thank you so much. His room is upstairs, second door on the right. Rob just brought in the pieces to the crib. If you need any help, just yell and I'll be right up."

The truck was empty so Fitz, Stephen, and Rob drove back over to the old house to fill it up again. Abby was unpacking the kitchen, Yvonne was moving boxes up against walls to prevent anyone from falling when they came in with more stuff, and Olivia was taking it all in. Listening to footsteps all around the house as the people they loved the most helped put things together or into their desired place.

Finally, lunchtime came and after Lincoln was fed, he was put down for a nap and everyone was given 'the talk' about being quieter. The grown ups ate the food that the grandparents had brought for the noon time meal and quickly went back to work. Everyone was anxious to be done with this day. The house was shaping up and coming together well, thanks to Olivia's direction and the girls eagerness to keep busy.

Emma stood beside her daughter in law and commented on the house. "It really is beautiful, and has so much space. The two of you chose well."

Olivia smiled at her mother in law gratefully. "Thank you. I think we are really going to be happy here. I can't wait until everything is put in its place and we can breathe a little easier."

Emma chuckled. "That will be about five minutes before the baby arrives, dear."

"That's what it seems like. We have so much to do before he or she gets here." She rubbed her belly lovingly. "Tell me what life is like with two sons. You know, just in case this one is a boy too."

"I can only tell you what I know based on my own experiences. And the two boys I raised are...well, they are different." She laughed. "Imagine the love and joy you feel from being around Lincoln, and double it. Of course, you are going to feel that way whether you have a son or a daughter. But there's something about boys." She took a moment to think back on the days when Fitz and Thad were younger. "They can be each other's best friend, or biggest enemy. Brothers have so many fun adventures together, and still come to you for hugs and praise and kisses for wounds.

Of course, they can also leave you completely exhausted and make you second guess every single thing you say to them. And in some rare cases," She paused when Fitz and Thad came into the room carrying a couch.

Both men stopped movement at the sight of the two women looking at them. "What did he do?" They both asked their mother in unison.

"In some cases, they never grow up." She finished. Olivia laughed while the Grant men looked on with confusion. "Put that thing down before you both throw out your backs." She instructed them.

Fitz and Thad squinted at their mother and purposefully held onto the heavy piece of furniture. "Thad might throw out his back, but mine's in good shape and gets used regularly. Right babe?"

Olivia shot him a please-stop-talking look while Thad laughed, still holding onto the couch. "You're such a dumbass and now your wife knows it too."

"Shut up, Thad."

"Why would you say that in front of mom? You're so stupid!" He continued to laugh at his brother. "First one to let go of the sofa has to tell the other one he's the best male Grant ever."

Olivia pointed to the stairs and told Emma, "Let's go check out how things are shaping up up there." She worried about what life was like with two Grant boys in her house all of a sudden.

Fitz had had enough of his brother's mouth and smiled at him. "Hey, Thad? The place you have your right hand on the back of the couch right now?"

Thad looked down, expecting to see a bug or something in the spot. He saw nothing. "Yea? What about it?"

"I rubbed my dick there last week after I had sex with Liv." He laughed loudly as his brother suddenly dropped his end of the sofa with a look of pure disgust covered his face. "Let's hear it, little brother. I'm the what?"

"What the hell is wrong with you, man? It's like you get off on torturing me or something. I'm not telling you shit because you cheated."

Fitz set his end down carefully and sat down on it, looking up at his brother, who still hadn't recovered. "The thing is, I'm not lying. That actually happened." He patted the couch with his smile still in place. "If this couch could talk, it would tell you exactly how many times and in what positions Olivia and I have desecrated it. Ahhhhh, memories."

"Shut up. You're lying." Thad said rolling his eyes.

"I am not lying, little brother."

"Liar."

"Call me a liar one more time and I'll kick your ass!"

Thad looked his older brother in the eye and sang, "LIAR!"

Fitz sprang to his feet and charged into his brother's stomach as the two of them laughed at each other. Boxes were pushed around, rugs were shifted and bunched up under them, and the legs of a chair squeaked as it slid on the wooden floor from their bodies bumping into it.

"You fight like a girl." Thad mocked.

"A girl who could kick your ass." Fitz assured him.

Both men remembered doing this same thing as boys and laughed as they gripped clothing and tried to get away from each other. At one point Thad had Fitz in a headlock and was punching him in the stomach. "You've gotten fat, dude." Then he began pinching Fitz's sides.

Fitz got out of the headlock and quickly had Thad pinned to the floor and was sitting on him. He leaned over his brother's face and smiled evilly. "You know what comes next." He acted like he was gonna spit on his brother. "Tell me I'm the best male Grant ever or I'll drop it on you. I've done it before so you know I'm not kidding."

"Fitz! That's fucking gross! Get your fat ass off of me or so help me god..."

"You're not in a position to be making demands right now." Fitz chuckled. "Say it!"

By now several of their friends had gathered around the two idiots on the floor and were picking sides and cheering them on. Bets were placed and money was passed around. They all considered it a nice break from the hard work they had done all morning. Free entertainment was always good.

"Get. Off. Of. Me." Thad said in a low voice. "Or when I get up, I will kick the shit out of you! And I've done THAT before so you know I'm not kidding."

"Fine. Have it your way." Fitz chuckled, tightening his hold on his brother. He leaned over his brother's face again grinning.

All of a sudden, they were both being splashed, and both of them were soaked. "What the hell is wrong with the both of you? You're acting like ten year old halfwits! GET UP!" Thomas roared.

Fitz scrambled off of his brother and they separated quickly from each other. Both men wiped their eyes and looked up to see their father, with a bucket hanging from his fingertips. "This isn't a boxing ring. It's a house! And there's a baby sleeping upstairs." Both men stood up. "Now. Clean all this water up and stop being dumbasses. Jesus. How the both of you end up getting married is beyond me!" Thomas carried the bucket into the kitchen and thanked Abby for giving it to him.

Fitz and Thad started laughing and slapped each other on the back. "We still got it! We can still rile up the old man." Fitz said.

"I thought he was gonna bust that vein in his neck." Thad laughed.

"Maybe the two of you should rile up a couple of mops and clean this water up before it destroys the floor? Move your asses. NOW!"

The two grown men knew that voice and it was a scary one, no matter how old they were. "Fuuuuuck" Thad whispered to his brother. "You've pissed off Godzilla."

"Something to say, Thaddaeus?" Emma asked.

"No, ma'am. I was just asking Fitz where the mop is." He opened and walked into a closet that was empty and Fitz couldn't help but laugh at him.

"Smooth move, asshole." Fitz whispered back through a chuckle.

"What is the problem, Fitzgerald?" Emma asked.

He did not want her anger pointed in his direction. Looking up, he caught his wife's angry eyes. "I don't know where the mop is. Liv? Babe? Where are they?"

Olivia pointed to the kitchen without saying a word to him.

Fitz was in deep shit!

The two brothers quietly began mopping the floor and cleaning up their mess as Emma and Olivia watched. They pointed out spots that had been missed and rolled their eyes at the men when their deep laughter returned while doing the job. It wasn't long before their brotherly ribbing was back.

"You know, the McDonalds near our house is hiring. You would make a great addition to their janitorial staff." Fitz stepped back and looked at his brother, nodding his head a few times. "You'd look great with a black sun visor on."

Thad had so many things he wanted to say, but knew better than to say them in front of the two women who were beyond pissed off right now. Instead, he chuckled at his brother and replied, "I hear they are doing a Kung Fu Panda twelve. You would be a great stand in for the lead character with that gut." He leaned in to pinch his older brothers belly, but Fitz scowled and swatted his hand away.

"I am not fat, you ass." Fitz mumbled.

"Both of you, shut up! It's ridiculous that I am shouting at two grown men. Your father is right, you are both acting like halfwits. Fitzgerald, you have a son! Would you want him rolling around on the floor with his brother like an idiot when he is a grown man?"

"That's where I get off easy, bro. All girls. Booyah, bitch!" Thad whispered.

"Thaddaeus, you are very chatty under your breath today."

Thad cleared his throat. "I was just telling Fitzgerald how beautiful this house is."

"No one believes you, dear. Keep mopping. And put your back into it. You didn't answer the question, Fitzgerald."

Fitz was scared to stop mopping, but was more scared of not looking his mother in the eye when he answered her. "Well, boys will be boys, mom. We do dumb sh...stuff all the time. It's in our genes. There's no point in fighting it. Besides, we weren't going to hurt each other. Just some good natured brotherly love."

"It would be best if you stopped talking right now, Fitzgerald and finished mopping the floor." Emma stated. "When the two of you are done, I'm going home."

The two men were done mopping in record time. They both hugged their mother goodbye and told her that they loved her. Thomas shook his head at both of them at the door, cuffed them on the back of the head, and called them idiots before exiting the house.

Fitz turned around and saw his wife standing in the living room. He put on a bright smile and went to her with his arms open. "Babe. We missed our lunchtime date." He leaned down to kiss her, but she turned her head away from him. "Awww, come on, Liv! We were just screwing around. Don't be mad at me."

"You and your brother were rough housing in the living room while everyone else was busting their ass to help us be able to sleep here tonight."

"Technically, that's not true. They were gathered around us and placing bets. I saw money change hands, Liv. Well, while I had Thad pinned anyways. They weren't working so whoever told you that they were..."

"Shut up. You know what I mean. You and Thad need to stop acting so juvenile! You're grown ass men!"

"I'm sorry, Liv. It won't happen again. What I mean is, it won't happen in our home again. It's definitely happening again." Thad and Fitz laughed while Olivia remained silent and eyed them both.

"So, our friends placed bets on the two of you? Who made the most money?" Olivia asked.

"Charlie!" Abby called from the kitchen. "And for the record, I stayed working while you two assholes wrestled like a couple of middle schoolers."

"For the record," Thad began. "I would have won if your stupid husband hadn't cheated!"

Olivia huffed loudly. "I don't care, Thad. CHARLIE! Get your ass down here now!" Olivia bellowed.

Charlie appeared instantly and was terrified of this side of Olivia. "Yes ma'am?"

"How much did you win?" She asked.

"Win?" Charlie looked around the room questioningly. "Win what?"

"Don't play stupid with me. I know you idiots bet on these two morons. And I know you won the most money. How much did you win? And don't lie to me!" She got in his face and stared him down without blinking.

"Oh that. I, uhhhh, I won two hundred and forty-seven dollars. Yanno, not much really."

"Two hundred and forty-seven dollars? Over these two? Wow. Ok, give me half." She said simply.

"I'm sorry, what?" Charlie looked to Fitz for help, but Fitz knew not to mess with his little wife when she was on a rampage. Fitz nodded once silently to his friend.

"Give. Me. Half. You bet on my husband, and even though he is an idiot sometimes, he is the one who brought you winnings. He is not responsible enough to handle money, so since I am married to him, I'll put it in Lincoln's college fund. Half." She cocked her head to the side, still staring at him, and held out her hand. "Now."

Charlie reached into his pocket and counted out one hundred and twenty-four dollars. He wasn't going to quibble with her over fifty cents. He put the rest into his pocket and Olivia jerked her head towards the stairs and he left the room quickly.

Olivia held the money in her fist and looked back over at her husband and brother in law before directing her complete attention on Thad. "You. How did he cheat? If you give me an honest answer, I'll give you have of this money. Spill it."

Thad smirked at his brother superiorly and then remembered the reason and felt uncomfortable with repeating it in front of Olivia. "Never mind. It's no big deal."

Olivia pointed at her husband, who was grinning like a lunatic. "Fitzgerald. How did you cheat? And why won't Thad tell me what it is that you did? If you tell me, I'll give you half of this money."

Fitz had no problem explaining to his wife what he had done. He stepped in front of Olivia and leaned down to whisper in her ear, but she pulled her head back and scowled at him. "You can say it out loud. We're all adults here."

"Really, Liv? That's why Charlie is hovering at the top of the staircase like a terrified five year old? And that everyone else in this house is pretending to work, including Abby?" He glanced into the kitchen and added, "Nice try, but you've been wiping that same spot on the counter for five minutes, SuperGirl."

She threw up her middle finger at him angrily.

"Just tell me what it is. No one cares."

"Fine. But just remember that you asked for it. Before you and mom went upstairs I bet Thad that whoever could hold onto the couch the longest, the other one had to admit that the winner was the best male Grant ever." Fitz began.

"Well that's just asinine, because Lincoln is the best male Grant ever!" She said patiently. "But anyways?"

"Good point, babe. Anyways, you two disappeared and I told Thad a factoid that made him drop the couch rather quickly. I won the bet but he wouldn't say that I was the best male Grant ever, so I tackled him."

"With his fat gut." Thad interrupted.

"If you make another comment about me being fat, I will drag you outside and knock you senseless." Fitz threatened. "I do not have a gut you jerk." He lifted his t-shirt to show a flat stomach to everyone.

"You sound like a woman." Thad chuckled.

"Both of you shut the hell up! Jesus, you make me tired! What was the fact, Fitz?"

Fitz looked around. "Where are you parents? I am not saying this while they are nearby."

"They have gone to the store to get sandwich stuff. Tell me now or I'm going to knock you both senseless!"

"Fine. I might have told him that the place he had his hand was the exact same place I had...uhhhh... wipedmydickafterwehadsexthelasttime" He said as fast as he could.

It took her a minute to understand what the lunatic had just said at the speed of light, but when it sank in, Olivia began to laugh. It started out a chuckle and turned into full belly, tears rolling down her eyes, gasping for breath laughter. She couldn't talk. She had a hard enough time breathing. But every time her eyes landed on Thad, she laughed harder.

It took Olivia a good ten minutes before she had herself back under control. She was wiping the tears from her cheeks, and rubbing her jaw because it hurt from laughing. She slung an arm around Fitz and the other around Thad and said, "I'm not even mad anymore. I would have whooped him too Thad."

Her brother in law grinned, happy to not have a mad sister in law any longer.

"And I'm super proud of you, babe. That is the most disgusting thing I have ever heard, but what a great lie. Kudos for your quick thinking to win. You get the cash! Sorry, Thad."

"Fitz claimed it wasn't a.." Thad began, but was cut off by his brother's death grip on his arm.

Olivia moved away from both of them. "He claimed what?"

"If you tell her I will seriously beat the shit out of you, Thad."

Thad was laughing now and trying hard to evade his brother's hand, which was attempting to cover his mouth. "He said it wasn't a lie. That he really did that, Liv. I gotta go now. Bye." He dashed out the door laughing all the way to his car.

Olivia shot her husband a death glare. "Did you really do that?"

Fitz heard his son crying over the baby monitor. "Oh! Link's up. I'll go get him!" He dashed up the stairs two at a time, thankful for the best male Grant ever and his perfect timing.


	28. Memory Lane

Memory Lane

The last walk through of our now sold house was a sad occasion for Fitz and I. We had arranged for Emma to come sit with Lincoln at our new house while we double checked that everything had been removed and nothing left behind. The rooms were all empty now, with the exception of the large appliances in the kitchen, and we ourselves were feeling kind of empty knowing we were leaving behind what had been a truly wonderful home for us all.

We started out on a mission, looking through the kitchen cabinets and drawers for left items and found none. Then we moved onto closets and bathrooms, searching for any small thing that may have been overlooked or dropped from a box on its way out the door. There was nothing. Our friends and family had been very thorough in their help of removing our stuff.

We had the rest of the day in the house before we had to lock it up for the last time and walk away forever, and we planned on taking our time. After all of the rooms had been searched, we came back into the kitchen and sat on the floor across from each other.

"Do you remember the very first time I came over here?" Fitz asked.

Olivia pretended to think about it, but ended up grinning at him and crawled into his lap. He kissed the top of her head and she told the story. "I do. You came here to pick me up for our very first date. You were carrying so many flowers that I couldn't even see your face at first." She giggled at the memory. "You had on those tight navy dress pants that made your ass look delightful. You were so handsome."

"Were, Miss Pope?" He grinned.

"So sorry, Mr. Grant." She turned and pecked hips lips. "You are still so very handsome. And don't call me Miss Pope. I'm a very happily married woman."

"I remember that you had on that purple ribbon thing of a dress and I remember wanting very much to unwind you from it somehow. But I was too shy."

"Yea, right!" She teased. "You wanted it as badly as I did."

Fitz nuzzled in her neck for a moment. "I still do."

"Me too." She admitted. "Especially now." They both rubbed her growing baby bump. "Remember how our first date ended?"

"That should have been a red flag for me to run for the hills." When she swatted his leg, Fitz grinned at the memory that seemed decades ago. "You fell asleep in the back of that very sexy town car I rented for us. I was trying so hard to impress you. I was an idiot."

"No. The car was perfect. It's just that our first date wasn't perfect at all." They both laughed at the madness that happened on that night so long ago. "But I think we did just fine."

"The next day we did amazing! The first time we had sex blew my friggin' mind!"

"Consequences. " She breathed out. "God, I miss those. It's been a long time since you have dished those out to me."

"I didn't think you were really into them?" He wondered why she was such a fan of them.

"Really? That's sad, because ohmygod they were so sexy. Every single time you just said the word I immediately got turned on. You in complete control? It's hot, I'm here to tell ya."

"I shall keep that in mind, wife." He chuckled when she clapped excitedly.

"I remember the very first time you spent the night with me here. I was so tired and you called me from the other side of that door pretending to be somewhere else and said you missed me. But eventually you came in and ran me a bath and we ate pizza and passed out in our bed. That was a good day."

"Not completely." He chuckled.

"What the hell are you talking about? That was a fantastic night."

"I think you're forgetting about Danielle?" He grinned.

It took Olivia a few minutes to remember what he was talking about. "That imaginary bitch you tortured me with! I was so mad at you for calling out another woman's name while I was...busy." She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "And then I wasn't mad. After you explained yourself."

"Yea, because I have the touch, babe. Besides, you started that shit with me about Alexander. Don't think I didn't Google everyone in your office the first day you mentioned him to make sure he was an old guy. Bastard."

"You didn't!" Olivia laughed fondly at the insane things they had put each other through over the years. "We were crazy, weren't we? I mean, we still are, but we were off the charts back then."

Fitz started rocking them and said, "I remember the very first time you told me I love you. Do you?"

"No." When he gently bit down on her shoulder lightly she said, "Of course I do. The bathroom was steamed up from the hot bath you ran for me and I wrote it on the fogged up mirror. I bet you thought that was the corniest thing in the world?"

"Just the opposite. I thought it was romantic, and different. That was the moment I knew I had you. I mean, I pretty much knew I was going to marry you long before that, but when you told me that you loved me, that sealed the deal in my mind. You were putty in my hands."

"I wonder if it's too late to get an annulment?" She joked. Fitz pinched her leg and she giggled. "I'm just kidding. I love you."

"Do you love me as much as you loved your first cooking lesson?" He kissed her cheek and they both looked up at the empty counter. "Now THAT was a great memory! It got so hot in this kitchen that I thought we'd burn the place down to ashes."

"That was probably the sexiest thing we have ever done in this house. I never knew cooking could be that hot! You were a phenomenal teacher." She turned and attached her lips to his, making him breathless. "Cooking naked was so much fun with you."

"I can pick you up and set your gorgeous pregnant ass down on that counter right now so we can re-create it if you like?"

Olivia chuckled. "Nooooo. I thoroughly enjoyed that though."

"Mmmm. We might need to revive that one in the new house? What do you think?"

"I could be persuaded to learn something new with you, Mr. Grant."

"That's my hot girl."

"Speaking of hot, I still haven't forgotten how terribly you and Abby treated me when I was sick with a..."

"Here we go," Fitz said cutting her off.

"The two of you tried to kill me, Fitz! I know I was running a fever, but you guys were just mean!"

"Will you let that fucking shit go already? Nobody tried to kill you and nobody was mean to you. We did what we had to do to get you better. Of course, we never thought that singing 'You Are My Sunshine' was the magical cure." He leaned back holding them up on his palms and laughed deeply.

"You leave my saint of a father out of this."

"Your father ran into our bedroom faster than any lightening I've ever seen strike. And Lila. That woman scared the shit out of me. She was asking a hundred questions like a rapid firing machine gun." Olivia joined him in the laughter. "Of course, now that I know your mother I think she's pretty amazing. But I sure was having a hard time keeping up with all of her concerns. And on top of all that, it was the first time I ever met your parents. I was so nervous that at first, I didn't want Abby to call them."

"Really? Why?" She asked with interest.

"Because here you are lying practically lifeless. Crying. Fevered. Mad at me and the whole world. We had just gotten out of the tub..."

"When you tried to kill me."

"Quiet down. I'm telling the story because of the two of us, I'm the one who actually remembers it."

Olivia stuck her tongue out at him, knowing he couldn't see her face.

"Go ahead and stick that tongue out again. You know what happens in this house when you do." He waited a beat. "Anyway, I was terrified that they would think I was trying to do something inappropriate with you in the tub. Or that I wasn't taking good care of you and let you get sick. I felt scared of them and worried for you. I guess the worry overtook the fear?"

"You are so cute when you talk about trying to kill me."

Fitz plucked her off of his lap, pinned her to the floor, and began tickling her sides. "Say you're sorry."

She was laughing hard, but in the midst of it all she blurted out, "Okay. You're sorry." He tickled her some more until she begged him to stop. He rolled them over and slapped her on the ass. "I know you didn't try to kill me, but it's fun to bring it up like that."

Fitz had a few strands of her hair between his fingers, rubbing them as he looked at her still smiling face. "I love you so much."

"I love you more." She said with a grin, knowing what was coming from his mouth.

He looked up at her and pursed his lips. "You know what? You probably do?"

"What?" She exclaimed loudly and pushed off his chest. That was not what he was supposed to say.

He grinned at her. "There's no way in hell, Liv. It's not possible." He picked his head up and touched his lips to hers as soft as a feather. This wife of his drove him to insanity sometimes but she loved him more than he deserved and he was so grateful for it. The moment he felt her fingers in the hair on the back of his neck, the moment felt perfect. Just like it always did when she did that.

A thought flew into his mind and he pulled back from her. "You know what should be possible?"

"Hmmm?" She whispered.

"Another sexy dance like the very first time we celebrated my birthday together." Fitz wiggled his eyebrows.

Olivia's eyes popped open with amusement. "You want this pregnant ass to jiggle and shake for you on your birthday this year?" She saw her husband's grin widen at the thought of it. "No way!"

"Yes way! I love pregnancy ass. It's my favorite! Why do you think I got you knocked up so fast after we had Link? I missed it so much!"

She chuckled at him. "You're crazy. Maybe next year? Also? I want to take our kids to the beach next summer. We haven't gotten to go in a while and I miss it, Fitz."

"The beach. That's a great idea. I guess now that we have kids, you'll have to pack more than just a bikini?" He pouted.

"Wrong!" She watched his face light up and said, "This ass isn't getting into a bikini ever again. You and your horny pregnancy ass loving ways have ruined it."

"No bikini, no beach trip. And that's final! Besides, you got back into your regular clothes pretty damned quick after having Link. But if you're really that uncomfortable with wearing one, you can bring it just for fun time with daddy."

"Ugggh. I am never calling you daddy. That's just weird!"

Fitz laughed loudly at the disgusted look on her face. "You're cute when you're appalled."

"You're cute when you talk to our friends on moving days. You know no one is listening to you right?"

"I know you were checking out my ass yesterday and got busted for it. The rest of them don't matter as much to me. I like goofy traditions. Like making everyone breakfast on moving day. Or riling everyone up with a good pep talk."

Olivia pointed her finger in his face. "But no more riling up your dad. He was seriously pissed at you and Thad. It was pretty damned funny to watch, but of course I wasn't going to laugh with your mother standing there looking stern. I actually held my breath when Thad called her Godzilla."

Fitz laughed until his sides hurt. "Do you think she heard him? I have never bitten the inside of my cheek harder to keep from laughing than that minute. I just knew blood was going to run down my mouth any second. I was dying."

"I don't think she heard him. But if she did, she's plotting revenge against him somewhere right now."

"Cut it out." Fitz said, sitting up. "That's a fucking scary thought, babe."

"You're scared of your mother?" She chucked disbelievingly. "She's like four feet nine inches tall."

"I don't care. Thad and I may joke around with her, but when it comes right down to it, you don't fuck with mom. She would kill us and make it look like a pro did it. Just like when you laid down that stupid blue line of tape in your professional work space. God, that was idiotic."

"Ohmygod I almost forgot all about that! That really was idiotic! The bet we placed over who would step across the line was even more stupid." She cackled.

"I gotta confess something to you, Liv." Fitz said in a serious voice.

"Please tell me this isn't an episode of Jerry Springer kind of confession?" She asked half joking.

"Remember the night we tortured each other? Stood naked in front of each other, trying to get the other one to step over the line?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Yea."

"I called Rob before all that started and offered to pay him fifty bucks to bring you coffee in that damned room just so I could avoid being in there with you." He waited for her anger. Instead he got laughter.

"You did not! Ohmygod! Fitz! That's terrible. Smart, but mostly terrible."

"He said he wasn't into kinky sex stuff and was staying away from us." That made her laugher even harder. "Besides, every time you left the house I danced on your side of the tape."

Olivia rolled out from underneath him and stood up. "One, that's not nice or fair. And two, he was a fucking cling on the weekend he stayed with us. I almost killed him multiple times for interrupting our attempts at having sex. He was so annoying! But that tub thing was the straw that broke the camel's back."

Fitz looked at her curiously. "I don't think I heard about the tub thing. As mad as you are at recalling it, I think I would have remembered."

"It doesn't matter. Me and Rob are good now. I actually liked him the moment I met him. He and Charlie are good friends to you. To both of us."

"Same goes for Abby and Yvonne. Although I was terrified of Yvonne from the beginning. Abby might have stalked me once, but Yvonne always made me feel like she wanted to violate me."

"She totally did." Olivia chuckled. "It's why the two of them hid in the stairwell on our first date. So they could see what you looked like. They have settled down a lot since we first got together and are happy in their own relationships. Besides, they know not to mess with what's mine."

Fitz ran his hands over his body, patting it down. "I don't recall you marking your territory."

Olivia grabbed his left hand and pushed it in front of his face. "Oh, but I did!" She wound her arms around his waist and said, "We've both marked each other up in some very interesting ways and places over the years."

He gave his wife a lopsided grin. "We certainly have. The kitchen, the living room..."

She groaned. "Please don't mention that sofa ever again, you sicko."

"The tub of death," he chuckled. "The porch..."

"That reminds me. I want to stop by and see Charles before we leave. I'm gonna miss him."

"I'm sure he's going to miss us too." Fitz laughed. "He might gain his sanity back after we're gone."

"We never did have him and Angie over for dinner. That's a shame. Of course, it probably would have been deeply embarrassing for all of us after the things he's witnessed."

Fitz reached into his back pocket and held up a small piece of plastic. "I stopped and got them a gift card the other day. Now they can go to dinner together on us."

"You are kinda perfect aren't you?" Olivia said grinning. Fitz opened his mouth to reply to her and she added, "Yes, I know. As you told me the night I came to the bakery, you're a damn catch." She rolled her eyes when his proud grin matched her own. "You've taught me a lot since we've been together. You know it?"

"Such as?"

"You want me to name them all? Really, Fitz? Your huge ego doesn't need to be inflated any more than it already is."

"You could name a few." He said hopefully.

"I can do a few. You taught me not to be afraid of kids for one. I remember being so nervous about meeting Megan and Elizabeth. Chuck E. Cheese might not have been the best place to introduce me to kids." She said crinkling her nose. "But I fell in love with our ladybugs immediately. And it made me less nervous and a little more curious about being a mother myself."

"You are a phenomenal mom to Lincoln." He put his hand on her stomach and added, "And this baby is lucky to have you too. That maternal side was in you all along. You just didn't know it. Never doubt how good of a mother you are, Liv. You're a natural."

There he was, saying perfect things to her again. She kissed him and laid her head on his broad chest as he held her close. "Thank you. But I can't compete with you in that area."

Fitz jerked away from her and scrunched up his face at her. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Watching Megan & Lizabeth painting your toenails was the cutest thing I have ever seen in my life. That was when I knew you would be an amazing dad. You are so good with them. All three of those girls adore their uncle Fitz. You're a complete pushover for them and they know it." She pulled back and looked up at his handsome face. "It's part of the reason I hope this baby is a girl."

"Why do you hope that? I mean, we've already discussed your selfish diva reasons for wanting a daughter and I'm all for those reasons too. But what do the ladybugs have to do with us having a little girl?" He had no idea what she meant and wanted to hear where this was going.

"Well, you're great with Lincoln. He loves you and thinks you are his six foot tall buddy. But I want to see how loosey goosey 'let him have ice cream' 'he doesn't need to be dressed like he's going to a fashion show' daddy collides with a daughter who will obviously have you wrapped around her little finger in no time at all."

"Loosey goosey, Liv? Please don't ever describe me using those words again. Besides, I would have the same rules for a daughter that I have for a son. Same bedtime, same curfew, same age for dating – probably..."

Olivia laughed and pointed at him. "See! We don't even have a daughter yet and you are bending things. This one has gotta be a girl!"

He chuckled. "I'm just saying, as a male I know the things males think about all the time. No male is gonna be sniffing around the daughter I don't even have yet until she's at least thirty. It's not gonna happen!"

"You're getting all riled up there, dad. I already feel bad for her and she isn't even a reality yet. Poor girl."

Fitz scoffed. "Poor girl? She'll have more clothes than she'll ever wear and treated like royalty by her grandparents, especially your father! Wow. Have you thought about that yet? Your father might bump you out of his life to have a little girl around again. Could be interesting." Olivia swatted him. "Whatever this baby is, he or she will be loved by a lot of people and that's all that really matters. And I wasn't getting riled up, for your information." He kissed her nose.

"I remember one time when I was riled up at you. No, I was pissed off!"

"We agreed to not bring up the sofa again, Liv."

"I'm not talking about the sofa. I'm talking about the night I found the locked drawer in your desk with the fake bottom inside."

"Oh my god you were so pissed at me that night! You were screaming at me and losing your mind over that." He mimicked her voice. "Why do you have a locked drawer in our house? Open that drawer again! I want to know right now. You scared the shit out of me with all that yelling. I almost told you about the engagement ring."

"You mean after you ran away from me?" She chuckled.

He rolled his eyes dramatically. "I went out in the yard and called Abby to get her advice. We talked it through when I came back inside and decided to trust each other always. Besides, we made up didn't we?"

Olivia looked at the rings on her left hand and her right finger played with the diamond sticking up on her finger. She looked up into his eyes and said, "You gave me one hell of a magical proposal."

"Nothing but the best for my girl." Fitz said, bringing her ring up to his lips and kissing it. "But you were more fixated on the damned box."

"That was the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me. The trail of rose petals, the key to the drawer, the privacy to look inside by myself. But that note in the box was my undoing. I don't think I've ever cried so much in my life. And I gave birth! It was perfect. Just like you."

"Not to toot my own horn or anything, but it was pretty damn perfect. Just like our wedding."

"Ohmygod our wedding was the best! You looked so handsome in your tux and the ladybugs were completely adorable in their dresses and the baskets you put ladybugs on. Oh god," Olivia stepped away from him wiping her eyes.

"Come here." Fitz said holding his arms open. "This is a happy memory. There's no crying now. You were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen walking down the aisle in that perfect dress. I did cry. I still can't believe you chose the dress that I..." He clamped his mouth closed remembering that his wife had no idea about what he almost blurted out.

Once again, Olivia looked up at him with a questioning expression. "The dress that you what?"

He smiled at her. "Nothing. It doesn't matter."

"Tell me. I want to know."

"It's no big deal. Honestly."

"Then tell me, Fitz. The dress that you paid for? Is that what you were going to say?"

"No. Your mom paid for it."

She huffed. "Just tell me please."

He thought about it for a few moments and decided what the hell? "No hysterics if I tell you okay?"

"You already know there's going to be hysterics, so why even ask it?"

"You make life so much more interesting, little wife." He kissed her nose. "Fine. But only because you harassed me." He sat on the floor and pulled Olivia onto his lap. "The morning you and the women went looking for your dress – Black Friday?"

"Yea? What about it?"

"I..." He took a deep breath and just let it roll. "Sent a text to your mother telling her which dress to pull for you to try on. The one that she and your dad bought for you to wear at our wedding."

Olivia turned around quickly and looked into his brilliant blue eyes with her wide shocked brown ones. She studied his face for a moment. "You picked out my wedding dress? But how? When?"

"I was at home alone. You all had been to a lot of stores and boutiques and had no luck. Lila text me telling me where you were headed next. So, I pulled up their website to see what I could see. I found a dress that..fuck it" he huffed. "...spoke to me! Whatever you want to call it. I sent the picture to your mother and she went inside and requested it for you in your size."

Tears were rolling down Olivia's cheeks. "I can't believe that you picked out my wedding dress and didn't tell me!" She blubbered. "You just let my mother take credit for it."

"She paid for it so it seemed fair. You know how I don't like to see my little woman upset. I just tried to do something about it." He wiped her eyes. "Please don't cry, babe. I can't stand to see you cry."

She pointed to her face. "These are happy tears! Proud tears! I love you so much it's ridiculous tears!" She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him fiercely. "Nobody loves me better than you do."

"Bet your ass." He murmured and rolled them over. "The truth is I never thought I could love someone like I love you. I'm glad that we met each other that day in the dry cleaners and that you found me just as sexy and appealing as I found you. But most of all, I'm so thankful that we started this amazing life together. It's the most important thing to me and always will be."

Olivia glanced at her watch. "We still own this place for another hour and a half. Let's make one last memory in the house that holds so many precious ones for both of us."

"Let's make it memorable then, Mrs. Grant." He got on his knees, pulled off his shirt, and leaned back down over her, staying off of her growing belly. Olivia's hands immediately fanned out on his broad bare chest and her fingertips made lazy trails across it. Fitz slid the strap of her sundress off of one of her shoulders and nibbled the smooth scented skin there. "Mmmm, you smell good."

She put her hands on his cheeks and guided his mouth to hers, kissing him deeply and wrapping her legs around his waist. Her little fingers were playing with the curls on the back of his head as her tongue lazily played with her husband's.

His mouth broke away from hers and Olivia's chest heaved from her exertion. It was getting warm inside the house since the electricity had been turned off, and she wiped her beaded forehead and dropped both of her arms on either side of her head. Fitz dipped his head into her neck and Olivia turned her head, giving him better access to do whatever he wanted. His tongue made swirls on the soft mocha skin in her neck, followed by soft kisses. His mouth was truly masterful.

His eager lips traveled over her clavicle and made a beeline for the valley between his wife's breasts. Her cotton sundress was in the way but he wasn't ready to remove it yet, so he got back up on his knees and put his hands on her feet and began to rub them. After a few minutes of that, Fitz thought his wife would climax from that alone with the noises she was making. He made a mental note to rub her feet more often while she was pregnant.

When he felt confident that he had made her happy, Fitz put his hands on her ankles and flicked his eyes to hers. She was already watching him with her playful browns, but her gaze got more intent as Olivia felt his hands slowly slide up her creamy smooth legs. To her outer thighs. And then his hands were on her hips. Olivia bit her lower lip, knowing exactly what her man had in mind.

She felt his hands grasp the sides of her panties and she arched one eyebrow at him. A coy smile tipped the edges of his mouth as his hands slowly began pulling the small scrap of material down toward her feet. Olivia's eyes never left his mischievous blue ones when he lifted her little feet one at a time and flung her underwear behind his back. Not even when he put his hands on her knees and opened her legs.

"Tell me if your back starts hurting from this floor. We'll go to the carpet or I'll set you on the counter. I don't want you to be in pain, okay?" He would never do anything to purposefully hurt her.

She had a lazy hazy look on her face, even though she was smiling. "Fitz?"

"Yea?"

"I'm fine. Please shut up and get busy already."

"Yea, ma'am." He replied. He licked his lips and pulled the dress material up, sticking his head under it and letting his tongue assault her most sensitive spot.

Olivia's back arched off the floor in response and moaned loudly. She gripped his covered head as his relentless tongue drove her higher. She licked her parched lips and begged. "Fiiiiiitz...please...don't stop" as her body writhed from his sweet torture. Her legs fell all the way open and dropped to the floor and still he continued his work. She was panting now, and her body was right on the edge of explosion, but she held on as long as she could, trying to make the feeling last as long as possible. Her body was warmer than it had been just five minutes ago, but she would rather burn in this delicious fire than see it end too soon. Fitz hummed as he moved his head back and forth over her bundle of nerves and she finally gave up and screaming, gave in to the inferno.

Fitz brought his sweat covered head out from under the hem of his wife's dress. He was grinning proudly, but took a second to wipe his mouth off. He looked up at her, was met with heavily lidded yet satisfied eyes, and said, "You are tasty, babe." She threw an arm over her face in embarrassment, but was smiling.

"It hot as hell in this house though!" He grumbled. Olivia chuckled at him. He stood up and held out his hand to her. Without question, she took it and he pulled her to standing up with him. He tugged her dress up and over her head, leaving her only in a bra. Until he got rid of that too.

While she stood there, Fitz spread out their clothes on top of each other on the carpeting in the living room and helped her back down. "Tell me if you get uncomfortable." She nodded in agreement.

Olivia was laying down and Fitz grabbed her ankles and pushed them almost to her butt and then opened them. He settled himself between her legs and slowly slid into her, watching her face twist with pleasure. He leaned down to capture another kiss from her already swollen lips and muttered out "love you." He started off with a slow pace, telling her "you feel so good."

Now that her upper half was accessible, Fitz dipped his head and dragged his tongue lazily around one of her nipples. After a few moments, he moved his head to the other one giving it the same treatment. His wife started writhing under him again, moaning softly and saying his name like a prayer. Still he kept the pace slow as his wet tongue painted invisible pictures on Olivia's gorgeous skin.

"Babe?" Olivia mumbled out. Her eyes were closed, but her hips were keeping lazy time with his.

Fitz was putting little kisses all around her breasts, and answered with a, "Hmmm?" between more kisses.

"That feels soooooo good. Can we just do this forever? Please?"

Fitz laughed and his rhythm was momentarily thrown off. He stilled until his words were out. "I've tried talking you into that many times. Funny how a day chasing after a small boy changes your attitude."

Olivia opened her eyes and found his looking up at her. She cupped his cheeks and brought his face up to hers, kissing him deeply and wrapping her legs around him. Fitz tried to take his weight off of her belly, but she wasn't having it and dug her bare heel into his ass to keep him in place. Understanding what she needed, Fitz gripped her chin in one hand as his hips began to move faster. She broke the kiss, needing air, but his hand didn't move.

Olivia's left hand went searching for his right one and she interlocked their fingers, holding tightly as she felt the tension in her body start to slowly build once again. She loved this familiar intimate time with him. The two of them knew every inch of each other's skin. Knew the things that brought out moans or sighs or panting and clawed skin. She grumbled and Fitz knew her back was probably hurting some, so he rolled them over, allowing Olivia some relief and the freedom to set the pace she wanted.

She looked down at the good hearted, good looking man who had her heart. He was sweating and his hair was going in every direction, but he sure did look content. She leaned down some and pushed his curls from his damp forehead and then gave more kisses to his lips. God, she loved him more than she could explain. It came bursting out of her. "I love you, Fitz."

He smiled at her and ran his hands up and down her back. "I love you too, Liv. But this house is like an oven, so we need to wrap this up. We'll get an ice cream on the way home."

"You had me at ice cream." She giggled.

Her smiled faded and she brought her feet flat on the floor beside his hairy thighs and began riding him hard. She watched as his smile fell off his face too. His hands went to her ass and he squeezed while he lifted her up and pushed her back down onto his long hard length at a furious pace. "Ahhhhh, babe. That feels so fucking good. Keep going." He shouted.

She had no idea what he was saying because Olivia was dealing with the very intense build up in her own body. It was about to overtake her again and she was moaning as every ridge of him was felt as he slid in and out of her. She was panting and sweating but still she pushed herself to keep the pace. All of a sudden, she felt his thumb rubbing circles on her center and her eyes flew open wide and she screamed his name loudly. She stilled and the after shocks took over her body.

Fitz was on the brink of exploding himself, but he needed her help to get there. He rolled them over once more, promising her between kisses that it would only be for a few minutes and began slamming in and out of her as he grunted. "Almost...there" he choked out and swiveled his hips a few more times and then groaned as his body jerked above her. He collapsed on top of her, and even though it was so hot, Olivia rubbed his hair until his breathing returned to normal.

He took his weight off of his wife but leaned down, resting his forehead on hers. "I absolutely adore you with every fiber in my soul. That's never going to change, but it will grow. We might be leaving this house behind, but what's truly important is our family. Not the house we live in. We made the memories we talked about in this house, but we are going to carry them with us into the new one, where we will make new ones with our growing family."

She grinned up at him and his words from years ago came back to her mind in an instant. "I guess you kind of like me, huh?"

"You have no idea how much. Now can we please get the hell out of here? I'm pretty sure I have heat stroke." He chuckled passing her the sundress and her undergarments. "We'll stop by and see Charles and be eating ice cream quicker than you can say, 'this baby is a girl'.

As she slid her dress on over her head, Olivia couldn't help herself. "This baby is a girl."

Fitz tried to slap her ass, but she evaded. "Smartass." He helped untuck the back of her dress from her panties, laughing as he did so, and grabbed her tiny hand. They stepped outside and locked the door, feeling so much better about leaving the house now.

They turned to head to their neighbor's house one last time and saw a package on the porch. They looked at each other for a minute before Olivia covered her mouth with her hand and turned her embarrassed face into her husband's chest while he laughed and brought an arm around her. "Well open it up, Liv. Let's see what he brought over while we were...sweating together."

Olivia opened the box and dug through the tissue, revealing a picture of Charles and Angie holding Lincoln. She started to cry again and Fitz shook his head and held her close. "This is adorable, Fitz. We'll have to put it in his bedroom, so we can tell him..."

"That this man has seen us naked more than our parents have as babies?" Fitz laughed loudly.

Olivia made a face at him. "No! So we can tell him that they were our neighbors and very nice people."

"Probably wishing they were blind by now, but yea."

"Go put the gift card in their mailbox and then text him to look inside it. I cannot go over there right now. There's no telling what he saw!"

"Fine. Will you please go turn the AC on in the car before I melt like Frosty out here?" He did slap her ass this time before he went to the neighbor's mailbox and put the card inside. Once he was sitting in the cooling car, he sent Charles a text.  
 _Thanks for the gift. Sorry we missed you. Check your mailbox_

He pulled the car onto the road and had gotten as far as the STOP sign when his phone chimed. He opened it, with a grin already on his face. He laughed heartily and read the text to his wife.  
 _Wish I had missed you, but no such luck. You two need a new hobby_

 **Please keep in mind, dear readers, that this is not the end of this story. Just a fun chapter of looking back at the some of the wonderful memories these two have shared in their first house together. Until next time.**..


	29. Mama's Baby and Daddy's Moment

_Happy TGIT, yall! This is a birthday gift for one of my readers as well as a little treat before the return of Scandal! Happy reading_

 **Mama's Baby & Daddy's Moment**

Olivia hadn't been overly bothered when her ultrasound appointment had to be rescheduled for two weeks later. She had a lot going on with finishing up the unpacking and setting up all of their belongings into the new house as well as tying up loose ends at work to ensure that her transition to working only three days a week went smoothly. There was a lot more to it than just telling the partners and cutting her work schedule immediately and had taken Olivia a while to get things in order. So, it had barely registered that she and Fitz wouldn't find out the gender of their unborn baby for fourteen more days. She had plenty to keep herself occupied in the meantime.

Telling Fitz would be another matter altogether though. He had been counting down the days on the calendar until the ultrasound appointment. He was going to be upset.

She met him at the door when he came home from work with a big smile on her face. His face registered shock when he saw her and he put his hands on her shoulders and asked, "What's the matter? Who died?"

She jerked her head back and shot him a questioning look. "What? No one died. Can't I just greet you at the door like a good wife?"

Fitz looked around the living before returning his gaze to the short confused woman standing in front of him. "Quick, what was the shape of the business card I gave you the day we met?"

"A...cupcake?" Olivia said, suddenly questioning her answer. "Why are you asking me that?"

"Because you never meet me at the door all smiles. I thought you had been subjected to an alien abduction and been duplicated and replaced. Or had a lobotomy today in your free time?" Now that she had a look of pure confusion on her face, he grinned at her and pecked her lips. "How was your day, babe?" He asked as he rubbed her growing belly.

"Apparently a lot saner than yours? Alien abduction? Really, Fitz?" Lincoln's babbling could be heard from the baby monitor that was sitting on one of the end tables and she sighed heavily. "I was hoping to get this last living room box emptied before he woke up."

Fitz pulled his little exasperated wife into his arms and held her for a moment. He kissed her temple and said, "I'll go get him while you finish that box. Then we'll make dinner together. And if you're good later, I'll run a bath for both of us." His hand went back to rubbing her belly. "How are you feeling today?"

"Big. I don't know why, but I'm bigger and more tired with this pregnancy than the last one. All the books say it's normal but look at this!" She pointed to her belly.

Fitz bent down and planted a kiss on it. "I think you look beautiful. And if the books all say it's normal, then it's probably fine."

"At least this one seems to be going quicker than with Lincoln." As if on cue, Lincoln could be heard saying "dadadada" on repeat.

Olivia watched Fitz's face split into a huge proud grin and she couldn't help but smile with him. "I'll never get sick of hearing him say that."

"He'd better learn to say 'momma' soon. Or better yet, I'm going to teach this baby how to say the right word first and make you wait for it."

"Pffff. Liv, this baby will say dada first because it is the right word." Fitz said confidently.

The babbling was beginning to turn to whining and Olivia shot him a look. "I guess dada gets boring after a while, huh?"

"Smartass."

Fitz started for the stairs to get his mini me talking genius when Olivia called out, "We need to talk later though."

He immediately stopped, turned around, and came back to the same spot he had just been. "I knew there was something! What's up?" He kept his eyes on the stairs, knowing Lincoln was waiting for someone to come and get him.

"You're such a conspiracy theorist all of a sudden. It's nothing major. Honest. We'll talk about it later. Go get my baby before he thinks we have left him home alone."

He slapped his hands on his cheeks with his mouth in an o. Olivia rolled her eyes at him and gently shoved him back towards the stairs. "You're the best." She called out before grabbing the box and pulling items out of it.

Upstairs, Fitz picked up a stinky Lincoln, who was happy to see his daddy. He handed his son a clean diaper from the stacker and laid him down on the changing table. "You stink, dude. I thought we talked about this? You save the yucky diapers for your momma. What gives this time?"

Lincoln looked up at his father, listening intently, as he turned the diaper over in his hand.

Fitz opened Lincoln's onesie, not excited to open the diaper. "Your momma thinks your brother or sister is going to say momma first. I'm counting on you to teach him or her to say dada. It's important, Link. Almost vital. Dada is much funner to say than momma."

Lincoln stared at his dad as he talked and blinked his blue eyes.

"I mean, momma is amazing, but she's not as amazing as me. Don't tell her I said that. I'll deny it if you do. Us guys gotta stick together." Fitz peeled back the tabs of the diaper and looked inside. "Lincoln! Come on man!"

Fitz picked up his son's chubby little legs and noticed that the diaper was full and the contents inside had run up to the middle of his back. Fitz let out a frustrated sigh, making Lincoln laugh. "It's really not funny, Link. This is gross." But he kept making the noise just to hear his son laugh over and over.

Once he had Lincoln cleaned up, Fitz looked down at him and said, "I think you need a bath, stinky boy. Do you want dada to give you one? Or momma?" Fitz smirked openly, knowing what the answer would be.

Lincoln looked up at his dad and was quiet for a minute. He smiled at him, knowing he was about to mess with his head. "Dadamamamamamamama."

Lincoln noticed that his father wasn't quite as confident all of a sudden. His daddy had a shocked expression on his face as he looked down at him. He heard footsteps and turned his head sharply towards the door. Man, she was fast! There she was. Standing there listening to him say her name. Of course she was crying. She'd call them happy tears to daddy but I don't know what that means. I stopped talking.

Olivia picked a naked grinning Lincoln up from the changing table as his legs kicked her belly excitedly. "What did you just say, little man?" She asked through her tears. Lincoln laid his head on his mother's shoulder, completely content now that she was holding him.

She rubbed his bare back and gently swayed him back and forth in her arms. "What did my cute little man just say?"

Lincoln picked up his head and looked at her. He grinned, showing off his tooth proudly and said, "mamamamamama" on repeat.

Olivia held him closer, putting her hand on the back of his head of curls. "That's what I thought you said sweet boy. What do you want for dinner tonight? Whatever it is, you can have it."

That seemed to snap Fitz out of his daze. "I offered to buy him a car and you're gonna let him pick out dinner?" He reached his arms out in his son's direction and encouraged him to come to his father. But Lincoln was in his happy place, in his mother's arms. "Link! You're killing me son!"

"Fitz? Would you go grab momma's baby a warm face cloth please?" She was gloating some and it felt good. She turned her attention back to Lincoln and said, "After you are clean your daddy is going to make us some spaghetti. And after dinner, you're going to need a bath. I'm going to let you stay up a little longer tonight since you've been extra good." She kissed his temple and cleaned him up when Fitz came back with the face cloth.

When his diaper had been changed and a clean onesie was back on, Fitz took Lincoln and put his arm around his wife. "It's the best feeling in the world, isn't it? Our big boy has two words in his vocabulary now! I wonder what the third one will be?"

Olivia looked up at Fitz with sad eyes and laid her head on his chest. "He's growing up too fast. He's practically a toddler now."

Fitz chuckled. "Liv, he's not even a year old yet. He's still a baby. Besides," Fitz pulled his arm from her waist and rubbed her belly again. "We still have another baby on the way. My plan is to keep babies in this house."

"That's an adorable thought, but I'm not a baby machine, nor do I want to be. This one right here might be the last, even if it's a boy." Olivia had no idea where that had come from, but she felt peace about it once she had said the words out loud.

Fitz was a bit shocked but covered it well. She said might, so that meant the subject was open for discussion. He planned to do just that another day. "Hey, the ultrasound is tomorrow. I'm pretty excited to find out what our rapidly growing bundle of joy is."

"That was what I wanted to talk to you about. The appointment was pushed back two weeks." She was tickling Lincoln while Fitz held him and enjoying him giggle at her. "What?!" He asked sharply, startling Lincoln.

She took Lincoln from his father's arms and gave him a smile, while she talked to her husband in an animated voice. "Calm down! There was a scheduling conflict and I got pushed back a few weeks. It's no big..."

"It's a very big deal, Liv! We were supposed to find out what we're having tomorrow! I had my heart set on it! I planned on us finally picking out furniture and paint colors for the nursery. And names. We haven't even tossed out the first baby name yet! We had a list of them by this point in your pregnancy with Lincoln. We have a lot to do and not a whole lot of time to get it done!"

Olivia chuckled and rubbed her husband's arm. "I know you're disappointed. I'm sorry, babe. But we can do all of those things in two weeks. Life in this house flies by, so two weeks will be here before you know it! Besides, we can start making a list of names tonight if you want?"

Fitz knew she was right, and he really wasn't intentionally having a meltdown like a toddler, but he really did have his heart set on finding out if they were having a boy or a girl tomorrow. Why were doctors such pains in the ass, he wondered to himself? At least they could pick out names tonight. That was something. He kissed the top of his wife's head. "Starting a name list will be fun. We can make one for a boy and one for a girl. It could get interesting?" Olivia nodded and he added, "I'll go start the spaghetti. I'll see you two downstairs in a bit."

Dinner had been great and it was obvious by his sauce covered face, hands, and high chair tray that Lincoln was a huge fan too. He enjoyed picking up the limp noodles and stuffing them into his mouth and his parents enjoyed watching his brows furrow every time he accidentally dropped one. When he did get the pasta into his mouth, Lincoln would happily clap his messy hands together, causing his parents to laugh.

He made it known that he was done when Lincoln started throwing the few pieces he hadn't eaten on the floor one at a time and leaning over the side to watch them land. Olivia and Fitz took turns telling him to stop, and eventually he began whining and rubbed his dirty hands in his hair. Olivia stood up. "I'll go put him in the tub."

Fitz went to his wife and pecked her lips. "I'll put him in the tub. You finish eating your dinner in peace." When she started to protest, Fitz put his index finger on her lips and added, "I'll let you be the good guy and give him after bath cuddles and put on his pajamas."

Lincoln continued to whine while his parents talked, until his daddy removed the filthy tray, unbuckled him, and lifted him high into the air. "Link. Chill out dirty boy. Dada is going to take you for a bath." Lincoln kicked his legs anxiously, looked down at his father and said, "dadadada."

Fitz brought Lincoln down in front of him, but at arms length, and chuckled at him. "You really are the best male Grant. But right now, you are the dirtiest male Grant and daddy's boy need a bath. Tell momma bye."

Lincoln looked at his mother and grinned as drool fell from his lips. "Mamamama" he chirped happily. Olivia waved to the small Fitz replica.

"Bye, baby." She said waving at him. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

"Come on, Link. I'm going to have to bleach the tub before I give your mother her bath later on." He sent Olivia a lusty wink and headed off to the bathroom with the messy boy in tow.

"And then, the little frog juuuuuumped onto the lily pad. His mommy was very proud of him." Olivia was reading a bedtime story to Lincoln and he was looking at the brightly colored pictures in the hard paged book. "See the frog, Lincoln? He is so brave!"

She had eaten the rest of her dinner and carried the dirty dishes to the sink afterwards. She had just finished wiping down the table when Fitz carried a wet and wiggly Lincoln wrapped up in a towel. "I've got a little package for mama." Fitz had announced, and handed the clean grinning curly headed angel over. Fitz leaned toward her ear and added, "I have a big package for you later." As he passed their son to his mother, Fitz grazed her breast purposefully. He enjoyed watching the shocked expression cross her face.

Olivia had taken Lincoln up to his room and found a pair of pajamas that had frogs on them. She dried him off and put a diaper on his tiny hiney, followed by his pjs. "Momma loves a clean Lincoln. You smell so good I could gobble you up." She got in his neck and made funny noises, causing him to laugh and bring his shoulder up to his ear to prevent her from doing it again.

She brought him into her bed and grabbed a few books from the bedside table and read them to him while Fitz cleaned up the kitchen. He eventually joined them, and pulled Lincoln onto his lap as Olivia continued reading the short book. "All done." Olivia sang to him.

"Link? What does the froggy say?" Fitz asked him.

Olivia brought up her fingers and wiggled them in front of Lincoln's face. "The froggy says ribbit ribbit." And then she tickled him and Lincoln cackled loudly.

"Whaaaat does a cow say?" Fitz asked.

Lincoln cut his eyes to his mother, who was ready with the tickle fingers. He burrowed into his father's chest, hoping she wouldn't get him.

"The cow says mooooooo." Olivia said and tickled him again. His infectious giggle had both of his parents laughing along with him.

"What does a duck say, Link?"

Lincoln looked at his mother's wiggling fingers and even though they weren't even touching him, he started to giggle and squirm closer to his father. Watching his reaction and attempts to hide from Olivia made Fitz laugh.

"The duck says quack quack." Olivia tickled. Curls flied everywhere as he laughed in his father's arms.

"What does Lincoln say?" Fitz asked.

Instead of squirming and preparing for the inevitable, Lincoln shyly picked his head up off his daddy's chest and looked over at his mother. There was only one answer that would surely keep him from getting tickled. So, he said it. "Mamamamama."

Olivia scooped him up off of his father's chest and held him close in a warm hug. "That's right, my sweet boy. Mama looooooves Lincoln."

Fitz watched them for a moment and then plucked him out of his mother's arms and laid him on the bed. He leaned over Lincoln and, in a funny voice asked, "What did you say? Lincoln doesn't say mama. Lincoln says dada!" And he gently tickled his son, wishing he could bottle his laughter.

"I need to eat some piggies!" Fitz picked up Lincoln's foot and pretended to eat his toes, and Lincoln laughed so hard Fitz thought he stopped breathing.

Lincoln rolled over and started crawling towards his mother. She wasn't as crazy as daddy.

"Hey! Where are you going? Gimme those other piggies!" He picked up Link's other foot and pretended to eat them too. Lincoln started off laughing but then began to whine when he grew tired of the game. Fitz held Lincoln in his arms and cuddled him. "Dada loves Link." And he kissed his chubby cheek.

Olivia took Lincoln and stood up from their bed. "I'm going to go put him to bed."

"And I'm going to go clean the tub from Mr. Spaghetti's mess. Then I'm going to wash you up and get you dirty." Olivia chuckled at him and shook her head as she walked away from him.

Upstairs in the nursery, Olivia settled Lincoln in her arms but on top of her stomach, and began rocking him. He sat up and looked around for his bottle, causing his mother to smile proudly at her smart boy. "I didn't forget" she said as she showed him the bottle. He reached his pudgy hands for it and drew the end of it into his mouth.

He looked up at her and listened to her quietly sing 'You Are My Sunshine' to him. Every so often he would stop sucking and reach his right hand up to his mother's face. She would lean down so he could touch it and Olivia turned her face to kiss his palm. Then he would remember the task at hand and greedily drink some more.

Eventually, his eyes became heavy and slowly began closing. Then they would pop open as if he thought he was missing something. Olivia rubbed his curls and the process would start all over again. Until the beautiful blue eyes stayed closed and his breathing evened out.

Olivia put him on her shoulder and patted out a lone burp from him. Content with that, she stood up and laid him in his bed. When Lincoln began fidgeting in his bed, Olivia remembered Fitz's advice and patted his back. He stilled after a few moments and Olivia lifted the side rail, turned on the monitor, and left his room.

She went to the bedroom and saw no sign of her husband. Remembering his claim of going to wash out the tub, Olivia went into their bathroom. Not only had he cleaned out the tub, he was sitting in it. The tub was full of bubbles and Fitzgerald Grant was leaning back against the edge, eyes closed, wet hair, looking hotter than he had a right to. He was taking advantage of the second trimester. Big time!

As she openly eyed his long form folded up in the garden tub and enjoyed very specific dirty thoughts of him, Fitz's baritone voice broke the silence. "Are you going to stare at me all night or are you going to get in here with me?"

Her curious brown eyes flicked quickly up to his. They were still closed. "I like staring at you. Bubble bath Fitz is very sexy."

That made his eyes open. He looked over at her and grinned. "Yea? How sexy?" She shrugged.

"Maybe sexy enough for me to give you a strip tease before I get in there with you?"

Fitz quickly sat straight up in the tub, sloshing water over the side. "Do it." He ordered.

Olivia grinned at him and pulled her black leggings down and stepped out of them. She picked them up between her index finger and thumb, held them out away from her body, and dropped them to the floor. She brought her index finger to her lips and traced them with it before pushing it into her mouth and sucking on it. Fitz's eyes grew wide and he leaned on the side of the tub, mesmerized by his tiny temptress.

She dragged her wet finger down her chin, between her breasts and landed on the hem of her t-shirt. She grabbed the edge and slowly pulled it up over her head and dropped it on the floor. Olivia's gaze went back to her husband's and she licked her lips as she reached behind her back to unclasp her bra. When it fell to the floor, she ran her hands down her sides and hooked her fingertips into the sides of her panties. She covered her mouth shyly and turned around. About the time she started to drag them down, she stood up abruptly and her hands went to her stomach.

Fitz jumped out of the tub in an instant. "What's the matter, Liv?" Olivia stood there with her hands still on her belly and waited. "Liv?" Fitz asked impatiently. "What is it?"

"I think the baby just kicked." She whispered with a smile on her face.

"Really? Already? That's my gifted child in the..."

"Shhhh! Put your hand on my belly and see if you can feel it. If the little thing will do it...OH! Did you feel that?" She asked excitedly.

Fitz squatted down in front of her and started talking to her stomach. "Hello in there. This is your daddy. I know you are female now without a doubt, because you have the most terrible timing ever! But we can't wait to meet you. Even if you somehow are a boy. We love you." He kissed her belly and then stood up, grinning at his wife. "Our daughter just made herself known, Liv."

"Fitz!" Olivia warned. "Don't go getting your hopes up. You had your heart set on having a girl the last time and we ended up with a son. Don't do this to yourself. It's still fifty-fifty."

Fitz pecked her lips and removed her underwear and led her into the tub. "This one IS a girl, Liv. I just know it."

"Here we go." She mumbled. She stilled when the movement inside her body happened again. "Whoever is in there, he or she sure is active already."

Fitz pulled his wife into the tub and settled her back against his chest and so she could stretch out in the bath. "Okay. Names. We need boy and girl names. Just to cover our bases. Let's start with boy names. I say we make a list of ten names for each gender and whittle them down as we go along in the pregnancy. What do you think?"

"I think you're crazy for getting your heart set on a girl again. I think you need to be open minded. Ten names each is a good idea though. "She breathed deeply and enjoyed the feeling of the warm water on her skin. "Boy names, huh? What did you have in mind?"

"The names I like are Connor, Lucas, Jaxon, Christopher, Mason."

"Those are cute. I like those. The ones I have been thinking about are Rory, Aiden, Carter, Zachary, and for obvious reasons, Hamilton."

"That's not a bad list either. Hamilton is interesting." Fitz began rubbing circles on Olivia's belly and asked, "What about girl names? Have you thought of any? Because I have."

"Remember when we were going for our ultrasound for Lincoln to find out if he was a boy or girl?"

"Of course. Like it was yesterday."

"And do you remember me telling you that if he was a girl the name had already been decided on?"

"Yea. What the hell was that all about? I never did find out what the name was? And then...we got caught up in having a son and it was never mentioned again."

"Are you telling me that you don't have any idea what the only girl's name could possibly be?"

"Are you telling me that I should know what it is?"

"Yes."

"Same answer. Yes."

Olivia got on her knees between his legs and turned around to look at him. "If and when we have a daughter, there is only one name that will be mentioned. There will be no need for a list of names, because her name is already decided."

"But I don't know what that name is and I feel like, as the father, I should know." Fitz was feeling confused and a tad bit frustrated by his wife's riddles.

Olivia smiled and put her wet bubbly hands on his cheeks. "Her name will be Katherine."

Fitz stilled and looked into his wife's eyes. Tears started to form in his stormy blues but he wasn't concerned about that. Nor did he care. His perfect wife had been holding onto the name of his favorite person from childhood. Saving it for the moment when they had a daughter of their own. She hadn't forgotten about the person who mattered most in his life when he was a boy. And wasn't that remarkable really? His cousin and best friend Katherine who had died from leukemia at the age of eleven. She wanted to give their possible daughter her name. Olivia was a wonder.

"We still don't know what we're having, but if it is a girl, we could call her Katie. If it's not too painful for you? If it is, I understand completely."

Tears were falling down his cheeks and his bottom lip trembled, but Fitz silently nodded. He pulled Olivia close to his chest and held onto her. "I can't believe you remembered her name. I think that would be perfect. And I think Katie would have loved knowing someone was named after her. Someone that I love."

"I wanted to name our first daughter, if we ever had one, after Katie ever since you told me the story about her. I wanted to honor her somehow and let the name bring joy back to you. To not have you think of sadness and sickness every time you heard the name. I hope you are okay with that, because I pretty much made my mind up on it already." She chuckled.

"Thank you, Liv. To know that you want to name our daughter after such a remarkably strong and fun girl means the absolute world to me." He rubbed her belly again. "Katherine Grant. I know she'll live up to the name. I love you both so much."

"I love you too." She pulled away from him and smiled. "But seriously, stop getting your heart set on a..."

Fitz kissed her softly, with his hand still on her stomach. When he pulled back he looked into her eyes and said, "This baby is a girl. I know it is. Don't be a smartass and remind me of how I knew Lincoln was a girl too. Let me have my moment, Liv however short lived it is."

Olivia shook her head back and forth, but was grinning at him. "Okay. I've only got to deal with this for two weeks and then we'll know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Until then, you can have your moment."

"Thank you, Counselor. Compromise is a beautiful thing in marriage." Fitz said with a smile as he kissed the top of her head. "I think we should paint our daughter's room pink. In fact, there should be pink everywhere! Pink toys, pink clothes, pink bedding. It should look like pink cotton candy exploded in her room."

"Oh my god." She muttered.


	30. The Big Reveal

The Big Reveal

If I had to listen to Fitz bitching about the ultrasound appointment being pushed back one more day I just knew I would go insane! He has griped about it under his breath as well as in front of family and friends. His mother shot him "the look" when he started in about it at dinner the other night and he piped down. His father told him bluntly to "shut the hell up". Abby has rolled her eyes at his dramatics so often, I just knew they would roll right out of her head. Charlotte had text me with threats to quit her job several times over the past two weeks!

It came up again last night after Lincoln had been put to bed. He was sitting on the sofa searching for pink everything for a daughter that we don't even know if we're having. He huffed loudly and mumbled something about "those fuckers know exactly what they are doing to me".

Olivia closed her eyes and prayed for patience. How could this man listen for hours to a small boy babbling and think it's the most entertaining thing in the entire world, but couldn't possibly figure out how to wait fourteen days to find out whether our unborn child was going to be a boy or a girl? It boggled her mind.

She stood in front of him, grabbed the laptop off of his thighs...

"Hey! What the hell are you doing, Liv?"

And put it on the coffee table.

"Hello? I was looking at something!" He exclaimed.

I straddled his lap and the space between us was noticeable with my belly in the way. "I know. Baby stuff. Pink baby stuff. But enough. We don't know..." He reached a hand up to put it on my mouth to keep me quiet, but I impatiently pushed it off. "We don't know what we are having, Fitz! You have to stop. Our appointment is tomorrow morning. It's literally just twelve hours away."

"Yea, but..."

"No buts! Stay off the internet! After we get home from the ultrasound..."

"That got pushed back because those fu..."

"Yea, I know. They pushed it back two weeks. Trust me, I know more than anyone alive how torturous the past thirteen days have been for you! Everyone is sick of you bitching about it!" His eyes narrowed to slits.

"Really? Everyone?"

"Yes. Everyone. Your parents, Abby, Charlotte, and me. You really need to..."

"Why would you think Charlotte has heard me complaining about anything?"

"I didn't say complaining. I said bitching. And she has. And you wanna know how I know that she has? It's because she text me four times yesterday with the eye roll emoji. That's code for Fitz is bitching again."

"How do you know what it's code for?" He asked sarcastically.

"Because she told me the day before!" I took a deep breath and continued. "As I was saying, after we get home from the ultrasound you can go crazy! I mean, within reason. But you can search until your heart is content for pink stuff. Okay?"

"Fine! But when they tell us this baby is a girl, I am going to rub it in your face! I know it's a girl in my soul. In my soul, Liv!"

I got up off his lap and replied, "Tell your soul it's time to go to bed. We have an early day tomorrow and I'm exhausted."

Fitz stood up and held my hand. "Do you wanna fool around?"

"What part of exhausted did you not understand, Fitz? Maybe tomorrow, okay?"

"After my parade for correctly guessing that we are having a daughter." He kissed me and I almost changed my mind about the fooling around.

Early the next morning Fitz and I kissed Lincoln goodbye and promised both of our mothers that we'd be back as soon as we were done with the appointment. They shooed us out of the house and went back to trying to teach Lincoln to say Nana.

Once again, we sat in chairs that were comfortable enough to sit in for a short period of time before they became unbearable and waited for my name to be called. Fitz wasn't asking a thousand questions this time or being overly impatient. He sat quietly in his chair with a smug look on his face. He was apparently feeling very confident with what he thought he knew. More so than when we were here to get an ultrasound with Lincoln. A big part of me hoped he was as right as he thought he was.

A nurse came out from the door and everyone looked up at her with anticipation of having an empty bladder soon. She called out, "Mrs. Timmons?" and looked around the room until her eyes landed on a woman who smiled at her and began to get up from her seat.

Still, Fitz smiled contentedly in his chair. He really had some kind of zen thing going today and I was thankful for it. It beat the hell out of him complaining. He smiled at me and asked, "How's the bladder? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. A little uncomfortable, but it's nothing I can't handle." I smiled.

He took my hand and said, "I'm really sorry I've been making everyone's miserable the last two weeks. Finding out what we are having is important to me. To us. But I shouldn't have acted like such an ass. I'm sorry, babe."

"It's okay. You're an excited dad. It's very cute."

He leaned over the side of his chair, grinned, and whispered, "Yea? How cute?"

I leaned in his direction and pecked his lips. "Very cute. So cute in fact that tonight, after we've picked out baby stuff, we're totally gonna fool around."

"You're so easy when you're pregnant." He chuckled. "I love you, Liv."

"I..."

"Mrs. Grant?"

"Love you too! Let's go find out what we're having!"

"It's a girl. I'm telling ya."

We stood up and made our way to the door to follow the nurse down the narrow hall. Fitz kept a hold of my hand and squeezed it gently when we were shown to our room. The nurse helped me onto the paper lined table and this time, instead of Fitz sitting in the only chair in the room, he stood beside me. "The technician should be in momentarily" the nurse said before leaving the room.

While we waited I asked my husband what kind of baby stuff he had been searching for on the internet. His face beamed proudly and I could tell he was dying to tell me about it.

"I found a pink crib that's round! You can see all this pink poofy shit, I think they called it tulle, at the top of it with pink bows. And it has this really cute pink matching dresser and changing table. I have pictures on my phone if you want to see it?" He gushed.

"Yea. We have a few minutes. Let's see what it looks like." He grabbed his phone from his pocket and showed me the picture. I didn't know what to say. It looked like someone had thrown up pepto bismol on everything. My words came out before I could stop them. "No way! That is too much pink!" I grimaced. "Shit. I'm sorry, Fitz. I didn't mean to be so..."

"Honest?" He pecked my lips with his grin still in place. "That's ok. This isn't really the one I want anyways. I was just screwing with you."

"Thank God. I could not deal with seeing that every single day for the next year and a half."

He chuckled. Actually chuckled at me. He was so laid back I was kinda freaked out.

"This is the one I really have my heart set on, so please be nice." He found the picture and passed me his phone.

I smiled at him and then glanced at his phone and gasped. "Ohmygod! Fitz, this is perfect! It's so beautiful!" It was a cream colored wrought iron crib with wheels at the bottom and a canopoy over the top. It looked like the carriage that Cinderella rode to the ball in.

She started to tear up and Fitz chuckled at her and held her close to his chest. "As someone very smart told me a few years ago, this is a cry free zone." He kissed her temple and added, "But I'm really glad you like it. Our daughter is going to be treated like a princess and should have the bed to match. Of course, all of her bedding will be pink! That's non negotiable."

"You did good, daddy. I mean, assuming this one is a girl."

"I thought you were never going to call me daddy?" He said grinning.

The door opened and Olivia smacked him in the chest lightly and said, "Shut up" before wiping her eyes.

"You folks look familiar. Have we done this before?" He asked.

Olivia smiled at him. "We have. You were the technician who did the ultrasound on our last pregnancy. If you need a reminder, this one" she said pointing to Fitz, "just knew we were having a girl."

"Ohhh right! And I told you it was a boy." He grinned showing his teeth. "The ultrasound was correct though?"

"Yes, it was." Olivia answered with a grin.

"And what are we hoping for today?" Mr. Williams asked.

Olivia chuckled. "He knows that this one is a girl too."

"Ahhh. So, you do want to know the sex of your baby today if he or she cooperates, I take it?"

"We do." They said together.

"Alright. Let's get this show on the road." He helped Olivia lay down and she lifted her shirt to expose her belly. "You already know the drill, but it bears repeating. This is probably going to be cold, and I'm sorry for that."

He squirted the gel on her stomach and reminded them that he would take a few pictures of the baby and then see what he could see. Moving the transducer around Olivia's belly, he froze for a moment that didn't go unnoticed by either expecting parent.

Olivia partially sat up in a panic. "What is it? What's the matter?"

"Nothing is the matter. Just breathe, Mrs. Grant."

"I saw that look on your face. Tell me what's wrong!" She said in a raised voice.

"Please just tell us." Fitz urged.

"I can't see anything until you lay back down." Mr. Williams eased Olivia down and moved the transducer over her stomach again. "There is something you should know about," he said as he watched her start to sit up again in a panic. "But it's nothing you need to worry about. Nothing is wrong, I promise you." He said gently.

"What the hell aren't you telling us?" Fitz spat out.

He pointed at something round on the small monitor. "Do you see that?"

They both nodded.

"That is your baby's head."

"What's the matter with it?" She asked in a whisper.

"Nothing is wrong with it at all. It measures perfect according to how far along you are." He moved the transducer a little and pointed again. "Do you see that?"

"Of course we do! It's our baby's head! You just showed that to us you imbecile!" Fitz seethed. "What about it?"

"Mr. And Mrs. Grant. That is your other baby's head."

"My baby has two heads?" Olivia said, really freaking out now.

Mr. Williams chuckled and then cleared his throat when he saw the death glare Mr. Grant was shooting him. "No. Your baby does not have two heads. You are carrying twins. As in two babies."

Wide eyed and shell shocked, Fitz and Olivia looked at each other for a long time in silence. "We're having twins? Are you sure?" Fitz accused.

"Very sure. I'll get both of their heads on the screen at the same time." He moved it around while the couple talked.

"Fitz, we're having twins!"

"Tell me I don't know how to do my job, Liv! We're..." He kissed her cheek. "Having..." He kissed her other cheek. "Twins!" He kissed her on the mouth.

"I can't believe it. We're gonna have two babies! OHMYGOD! We're gonna have TWO babies! We have to buy two of everything! Two cribs, two dressers, two of everything!" She started crying. "We're having twins, babe! I'm kinda scared, but really excited too!"

Fitz leaned down and pecked her lips. "I feel the same way, but we're gonna be fine. Our little family just got bigger a lot faster. This is the best day ever!" Fitz turned his sharply at Mr. Williams. "Are they boys or girls?"

"Ohmygod! Yes! What are they? We have a lot to do in not a lot of time and there are two of them now. We need to know. And if they don't cooperate today, they are definitely more mini Fitz's." She cried harder now. "I wanted at least one daughter." Fitz held her hand as they waited for the technician.

"See. Two heads for two babies. They are both measuring perfect too. I took a few pictures, but let's see if we can get a few more?" He moved the hand held device around and craned his head to see better. "See those fluttering things?" He pointed.

"Their perfect little heartbeats." Olivia whispered.

"That's right. Now, let's see if we can get a revealing look at who we are peeking on." He moved it some more and grinned over his shoulder at them. "Okay, This one right here, which I'll call Baby A, is very proud and has no shame at all in being helpful." He chuckled.

"It's a boy. I just know it." Olivia said chuckling along with him.

"Baby A is most definitely a boy." He tried a variety of different places on Olivia's belly to see what Baby B was, but was having a hard time seeing clearly. "Baby B is being a little stubborn."

"That's cause she's a mini Liv." Fitz stated simply. Olivia swatted his chest but kept her eyes riveted to the little screen.

"I'll take some other pictures and see what we can catch them doing." Mr. Williams again moved the transducer around and froze the screen, taking a picture. "Awww, they are sucking their thumbs. See?"

Olivia gripped her husband's hand. "Look at them in there being cute. Twins explain why my belly is bigger than it was with Lincoln. They really are cute in there." Fitz and Olivia watched as one of them rolled on its side. "Active little boogers too."

Fitz was enjoying the wonder of seeing his babies inside his wife's belly, and knew that life would become very very different for him and Olivia once they were born. But right now, instead of worrying about the inevitable, he just wanted to hear what Baby B was, boy or girl. He couldn't be wrong twice. Could he?

"Gotcha! This is a tricky little one, but I got it clear as day. Are you ready to hear what baby B is?"

Olivia rubbed the sides of her belly and said, "Good job, babies! Thank you for being so helpful!"

"Baby B is...a girl." He announced with a smile.

Fitz stepped away from his wife and fist pumped the air!

Olivia said something to the technician and he smiled knowingly and complied with her request.

"YES! I knew it! I fucking knew it!" He looked over at his wife, who was not happy with him cursing at the hospital. "Sorry, babe. But I knew it!"

Mr. Williams wiped off Olivia's belly and she pulled her top down as Fitz came back to her and held her tightly. "You know how much I love my Grant boys, but I'm also getting a princess too. A princess, Liv." A tear fell down his cheek and he kissed her. "I'm so happy. I love you so much!"

Olivia shook her head, already knowing that his life was going to change very soon. Not just because they would have three children under the age of two. Not just because they were having twins in a matter of months. But because Fitzgerald Grant was already hopelessly wrapped around his daughter's finger and it was the most precious thing in the world to her. She rubbed her belly. "You get two mini Fitz's and I get a mini me. This is amazing. I love you."

"We got a lot to do, Liv! So much to do! Paint colors, cribs, furniture, car seats..."

"Easy super dad. We already agreed to do all of that later tonight. Remember?" Fitz helped her off of the table, they got their pictures, and thanked the technician. "Besides, we already have one nursery practically figured out. That just leaves our son's side of the room. Right now, we need to go home and tell our mothers the good news and then tell all of our friends! It'll be fun!"

Fitz held his wife's hand and wore a grin all the way home that no one could ever wipe off his face. Twins! He was incredibly happy that their babies were healthy and growing just fine. He figured this news would probably shut down all conversations with Olivia of having more kids. He shrugged. It didn't matter now. They were going to have two boys and one girl. Three beautiful happy healthy little Grants. Life was good!

"...and that's what I think we should do. What do you think?"

Fitz was going to have a daughter. She was going to look and act just like her mother, he decided. She would be fierce and beautiful and strong willed. The thought of a little wrinkled nose looking up at him with impatience made him chuckle out loud. He couldn't wait for it.

"Fitz?" Olivia called. "What the hell is so funny over there? Did you hear what I just said?"

Busted for daydreaming, Fitz brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. "Sorry, babe. I was thinking about something. What did you say?"

He was already a goner. But what a cute one he was. "I was saying that we should just tell out mothers about the twins and not make a production about it. Okay?"

"Yea, I don't like that idea, Liv. I have a plan." He parked the car in their driveway, leaned over to kiss her, and said, "Follow my lead." He then got out of the car and went around to her side to help her out of the car.

Olivia watched him reach her for door handle and muttered, "This oughta be interesting."

The two of them walked in the front door and Olivia called out, "Mom?"

The two of them heard Lila call out, "We're up here" but weren't clear as to where that was exactly. So they started walking upstairs toward the voices.

They found the trio in Lincoln's bedroom. Lila was holding him while Emma was playing peek a boo with him from behind Lila's shoulder. Lincoln was giggling, happy to have the full attention of both of his grandmothers. Olivia tiptoed behind her mother and slowly looked over her shoulder. The second Lincoln saw her he held out his arms and said, "mamamama."

"Why can't you say nana, little boy?" Lila asked him as he went into his mother's arms and held her tightly.

"He'll say it when he's ready. Huh, Lincoln?" Olivia chirped, kissing his face.

"So?" Emma asked, looking at Fitz.

"So, what?" He asked with a smirk.

"Don't you sass me, Fitzgerald."

"I wouldn't dream of it." He replied mildly.

Emma stared at her son waiting for him to spill the beans about the baby.

Lila flicked her eyes between mother and son and pursed her lips. "Someone better tell us something! We're old. We ain't got all day for your games. Now is this baby a boy or a girl?"

Fitz smiled at his mother in law. He always appreciated her candidness. "What do the both of you think we're having?" He asked.

"Well, I think it's a girl." Emma said.

"And I think it's a boy. She's carrying it like a boy." Emma said.

"Yes. And yes." Fitz said simply.

"What the hell does that nonsense mean, Fitz?" Lila pointedly asked.

He couldn't wait to see the looks on their faces when he blew their minds. "It means that we are having a boy AND a girl."

"We're having twins!" Olivia shrieked.

Emma's eyes grew so wide, Olivia thought they would pop right out of the sockets. Lila screeched loudly, startling Lincoln. Fitz took him from his mother while the three women happily hugged each other. "Twins? That is amazing! I'm so happy..."

"Thank you, momma."

"Mama" Lincoln copied.

"For us!" Lila hugged Emma and the two of them did a little dance together.

"Wait." Olivia asked, standing beside Fitz and watching their mothers party together. "What just happened?"

Fitz chuckled at his wife and put his arm around her. "They are happy for us, but happier for each other because they are getting twins. We basically have babies for them, Liv."

All of a sudden Lia stopped dancing and looked at her daughter. "Your daddy needs to know that you are having twins and that one of them is a girl." She looked at her son in law and shook her head. "He may try to steal that baby. I wish I was sorry." She chuckled. "That man loves his daughter, but you might be getting replaced, Liv?"

Fitz grinned at her. This wasn't news to him at all. Still, Nathaniel had another thing coming if he thought he was going to hog his daughter. It wasn't happening. But thoughts of a mushy Nathaniel made him smile and he couldn't wait until his father in law got to meet...Katherine.

Emma hugged Olivia and touched her belly. "We are so happy for you, dear. And of course, we are here to help in any way that we can."

"What she means is, you can't hold three babies at the same time, so we will be here to hold them too. You're stuck with us, baby." Lila smiled and hugged her daughter.

"We would be lost without the two of you and we appreciate you watching Lincoln while we're at work. We couldn't have done it without you two. Thank you for being so amazing to all three of us." Liv blubbered.

"What she said," Fitz added and pulled his little hormonal wife into his arms.

"Well, we are gonna scoot. We've been waiting on this day so we can go shopping together. Now we've got even more to buy." Lila said with a wink.

"Did you get Nathaniel's credit card?" Emma asked with a sly smile.

"Do bears go in the woods?" Lila retorted. The two women cackled together, hugged their children and Lincoln goodbye once more and left the house.

"Well, Link" Fitz said looking at his son. "What do you think of that news? You're gonna have a brother and a sister. You know what we talked about."

"What crazy things have you filled my angel's head with?" Olivia asked skeptically.

Fitz lifted Lincoln high in the air, bringing a giggle from him. "Link here is gonna teach them to say dada first. Right, son?"

Lincoln looked at his daddy and then at his momma with blinking eyes. They were both crazy. He was gonna teach whoever they were talking about how to say Lincoln first. He just had to learn how to say it himself.

"He's not feeling it, Fitz." Olivia chuckled. She watched her son yawn loudly and said, "Why don't you lay him down for a nap and we can get an early start on finding a cute crib for my second little prince?"

"I like the way you think. Get all the online stuff done so tonight is clear for boom shakalaka." He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"Never say that again if you want to get laid. I'm going to make myself a cup of tea. See you downstairs. Nite, Lincoln." She leaned toward him and he opened his mouth for a kiss. Olivia chuckled at his cuteness. Soon she would be getting three times the love.

While she waited for Fitz, she grabbed the laptop and started a search of her own for cribs for boys. She had looked at several pictures and read the details on them when the laptop was lifted off her lap. Startled, she looked up to see her husband waging his finger in front of her. "You're supposed to wait for me so we can do this together."

"Ohhhhh, like you found Katie's crib with me?" She said and stuck out her tongue. "I have something for you, by the way."

Fitz looked at her skeptically. "What is it?" She handed him a small piece of thin paper and he held it up in front of his eyes. "I had the technician take a picture of Katie's fingers so you would remember how badly you are already wrapped around them."

Fitz put his hand on her belly and pulled her close. It was still kind of weird to hear that name mentioned, but now it made him smile. "Awww, Liv. I love it. I'm going to get it framed along with a picture of our unborn son and keep them on my desk at work. Thank you." He kissed her softly and looked back down at the photo, realizing the truth in the sentiment already.

"Now then. Katie is going to be a daddy's girl and as such, I know what she is going to like. Deal with it. And we might be in the new house, but the same rules still apply. Don't stick your tongue out at me. There could be consequences." When she shivered he laughed at her.

"Okay. Cribs. We know that our daughter's bed is going to be a magical thing. It is beautiful but also turns into a toddler bed and then later a daybed. So it will pay for itself in the years Katie will use it." He pulled the laptop onto his own lap. "Our unnamed son will need something that will go with the magical theme since I'm assuming they will want to be in the same room together as babies?"

"Why the hell are you asking me? I don't know anything about twins. Let's research that before we start looking at cribs. We might only have to buy one crib. I don't know."

"You. Are adorable. Katie is having her own bed and our son is having his own bed. They might sleep better together as infants, but they are going to kick each other and wake each other up, so they will need their own beds. Besides, eventually they will have their own rooms."

She leaned over and kissed him. Partly to keep him quiet and partly because he was adorable. "We don't want babies being woken up when they are asleep. Two cribs it is. They can take turns sleeping in each other's beds while they are newborns. Right?"

"Yea. We're the parents. We make the rules. And if I know you like I do, you'll Google the hell out of all things twins and we'll know for sure before the end of the week." He laughed. "So, back to cribs."

They looked at so many cribs Olivia thought her eyes would cross. Wooden cribs, cribs with a built in mini dresser, round cribs, and cribs of every color imaginable. They didn't agree on any of them. Fitz leaned against the back of the sofa and dragged a hair through his hair and sighed. "Wait a minute!" Olivia said. "Katie has a wrought iron crib. Let's see what there is to offer for boys in iron. Maybe we'll find something?"

She began the search and they scrolled through the images. She clicked on one and looked at the view of it from all sides. "I like this one. It's a black four poster crib..."

"These kids are going to have a better bed than their parents!"

"It turns into a toddler bed," She said cutting him off. "And can later be used as a headboard and footboard for a twin bed! It's perfect. It will match Katie's bed in its stateliness but will be different enough to decorate his room however we want when he's older. What do you think?"

Fitz looked at it. It was a nice crib. And it would last a long time so they'd get their money's worth out of it. The twins would look like royalty, which was the point because they were probably going to be the last of the Grant children. And they were twins. "Yea, let's buy both cribs and get the matching dressers. We're only going to need one changing table in there so that's easy. But we will need another rocker."

"Yea. There's no way to rock all three of them at the same time. Maybe we should buy two rockers? Then everyone gets their own?"

"Why does every baby need their own rocking chair? I think two is fine, Liv. What color do you want to paint the nursery for them?" He asked, already having a plan.

"It's gonna be a little tougher since we are having a boy and a girl. Two of the same sex would be easy, but we've got to figure out how to make the room work for one of each. What have you planned? I mean, what do you think?" She asked with a grin.

"You're such a conspiracy theorist all of a sudden." He said pecking her lips. "And a smartass. But I have thought about it as a matter of fact. I think we should paint the walls a light green, maybe mint green?"

"Sage would be better."

"Alright, sage. And decorate the room with animals. Cute ones."

Olivia thought about it and tried to visualize the whole thing put together. "We could keep it simple paint-wise so it will be easier to re-paint when Katie gets older and hates it." She chuckled. "We could put a few stuffed animals in there and hang some framed pictures of them too. It'd be cute. But we keep it simple with the paint, Fitz. No going overboard with painting animals on the walls. That shit will be hard to paint over in a few years and I will cuss your ass over it."

"Fine! No painting animals on the walls." He had a way around that stipulation already in mind "Maybe we can get Abby to watch Link for a few hours and we can paint the nursery this weekend? I'll get the stuff on my way home from work one night this week. Speaking of Abby, when are you planning on telling the girls about the babies?"

"Painting this weekend is a good idea. We need to get the ball rolling on a lot of things so we aren't..."

"Stuck with things still left to do before they get here. I know, Liv." She stuck her tongue out at him and instantly regretted it when she caught the look in his eyes. Fitz leaned over her until she toppled onto her back on the couch. "What was that?"

She looked up at him innocently. "What was what?"

"Gimme that tongue you're so fond of sticking out at me." He crashed his lips onto hers and sucked her tongue into his mouth greedily. Her little hands tangled into his curls and she moaned into his mouth. Second trimester was everything in his opinion.

He pulled his head back and looked down at her. She was so sexy and he wanted her right now in the worst way. "Tonight, you're going to have to pay for that."

"Really? What punishment do you think fits the crime?" She giggled.

Something she recently said flashed into his mind and he went with it. "Oh, something of this caliber definitely calls for consequences." He grinned when he saw excitement in her eyes as her chest heaved.


	31. The Perks of Being Neighbors

The Perks of Being Neighbors

Yvonne covered her mouth and spoke into the phone receiver. "It's a Starbucks kinda day. Get your skinny ass over here NOW! I..." She looked up and saw Olivia poke her head out from her office and wait for Yvonne to get off the phone. "I will get the message to Mrs. Grant and have her call you back this afternoon. Thank you. Have a great day." Olivia watched her hang up the phone and stared at her assistant.

Yvonne looked around the room, not sure what Olivia was waiting for. Finally, she just asked. "What can I help you with?"

"Who am I supposed to call back this afternoon?" Olivia already knew she was being played. Two could play this game though.

Yvonne stuck her head out and gave a confused look. "What?"

"The phone call? Who did you just tell that I would call back?"

She was busted. Unless she lied. "Oh! That! That was..." Movement out of the corner of her eye caught Yvonne's attention. "Oh look! Heyyyyy, Abby. What are you doing on this side of town?" She laughed forcefully.

Abby scrunched up her face at her. "You literally just called me and said to get over here." She turned to her pregnant friend who was rolling her eyes at her assistant. "So, are we doing this in your office? Let's do it." She walked in uninvited and sat down on the sofa.

"Why are you here?" Olivia asked.

"Yvonne said you had Starbucks. That always means big news. Where's my coffee?" Abby chirped.

Olivia cut her eyes to her assistant, who picked up Abby's recycled paper cup and handed it to her and took a seat quietly.

"As a matter of fact, I do have big news. I hate that the two of you know my habits so well that you know what Starbucks means. I'm gonna have to shake things up a little more."

The two women sipped curiously in silence. They didn't care what she did or shook up, as long as she continued to bring the good stuff every so often.

"Fitz and I had our ultrasound yesterday. We know what we're having." She said, rubbing her belly.

"Finally! Your husband was driving us all insane with his constant whining and bitching about it being pushed back. Maybe he'll give it a rest now? By the way, the office pool has odds in favor of another boy. I've got money down on that one, so I need to know the outcome." Yvonne stated.

"Why am I not surprised by this at all?" Olivia muttered. "Anyways, it turns out that we are having...twins!"

"What the..." Yvonne started, in obvious shock.

"Hell?" Abby finished. "Twins?" She set her coffee down and stood up hugging her best friend. "TWINS! Holy hell this is amazing news! I didn't want to say anything about your belly, but this totally explains that now."

"Gee, thanks." Olivia said shaking her head.

"Your ass has definitely..." Yvonne began with sass.

Olivia pointed a finger at her and said firmly, "NO!"

"Got it." Yvonne said quietly, and sipped on her coffee.

Abby suddenly ceased all movement, startling the other two women. "Well? Did you find out what you're having?"

"Of course. That's the best part. We are having a boy and a girl!" She squealed happily.

"Awwwww. That is perfect! And definitely Starbucks worthy. Congratulations."

Yvonne hugged her boss and whispered to Abby, "I lost in the damned baby pool."

"You suck at whispering." Olivia replied.

"Okay, but I am changing my vote. I totally get Lincoln now. I don't have the strength to raise another baby. Lincoln is already older, not as breakable, and he likes me. So, Yvonne, you can take your pick from the twins. I get short stuff." Abby said matter of factly.

"Wow." Olivia said, staring at her best friend. "You don't get Lincoln. He's mine. And you didn't raise him. He's not even a year old yet, you bitch. And as my best friend, you are most assuredly going to help me out with the twins. Deal with it!"

"Jeez, stop begging already." Abby said grinning. "I'll help."

"I'm so glad we could settle that. So, I was wondering if the two of you would like to help me put the nursery together when the cribs and dressers show up? Fitz and I are planning to paint the room on Saturday, and he will put everything together, but he doesn't have the creative eye to put things where they need to go. That's what the Starbucks is for. It's a bribe."

"I suppose I could help. But I get frequent breaks with Lincoln." She shrugged. "Since he's mine."

"You're gonna share that boy with me or I'll tell him that redheads are crazy bitches that throw his bottles away while he naps." Yvonne said with a smirk.

"Ohmygod." Olivia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "The furniture won't be here for a few weeks so I don't have to deal with the two of you until then. I'll keep you posted though. Abby, can you watch your child for a few hours on Saturday while we paint please?"

"Visitation rights." She said smiling. "Perks of being neighbors! I knew you'd come around. I can do that."

"Let's see how much you're bragging about neighbor perks when you see Fitz and I romping around outside in our underwear. Or less than that." Olivia chuckled.

Olivia relayed this story to Fitz on Saturday who found it very humorous. "Abby is great with Lincoln. And you know she'll be around for the twins as well. She's Super aunt! Now, are you ready to paint?"

"I've been looking forward to this all week. Once the room is painted, it'll feel more like a nursery. And when the furniture arrives and is set up, I'll be able to breathe a little easier. I started a list of things that we need to do before they get here and..."

"Of course you did" Fitz muttered.

"Fine!" She said shooting him a look. "But it's a lot. Let's paint."

The two of them got two walls done before Olivia announced that she needed a drink. They set their rollers down in the tray and stood back to look at their work. It looked pretty damned good. The window brought in enough light that it made the walls appear lighter than they really were. "Good call on the sage instead of mint." Fitz commented.

"It's been said from time to time that I actually know what I'm doing." She said sassily.

"It's also been said from time to time that you are a smartass. Let's go grab some water." The two of them trudged down the stairs of the quiet house and he grabbed two bottles from the fridge and Fitz opened Olivia's before handing it to her. "You okay?"

Olivia took a long drink of her water and replaced the lid before answering. "Yea, I'm good. I'm gonna check my phone real quick." She picked up her device and noticed a message from Stephen was waiting for her. She wondered what he wanted as she opened it.

It was a video. She opened it and squinted at the small screen to see Abby talking to Lincoln. "Can you say Ab bee?" It looked like Stephen had recorded it from behind a cracked closet door or something. "Say Ab bee."

Lincoln just grinned at her quietly.

"What are you watching?" Fitz asked, coming beside her to look at the phone screen.

"I don't know. Stephen sent it to me while we were painting. It looks like SuperAunt is trying to teach her child how to say her name? Lincoln is not remotely interested though. It's cute though." The two of them looked back down at the phone.

"Can I tell you a secret, short stuff?" Abby looked around the room and Stephen obviously kept in his hiding place. "Your aunt Ab bee is gonna have a cousin for you and your brother and sister to play with."

Lincoln clapped his hands together, making Abby grin.

"That's right. YAY! This is one of those moments I'm super glad that you can't talk because aunt Abby is pregnant right now!"

Olivia gasped loudly and looked at Fitz. "Is she serious?"

"She wouldn't lie to her child, would she? Besides, as far as Abby knows..."

"I'm gonna be an aunt!" Olivia squealed loudly and then began to cry.

"Lincoln is the only one who knows about it." Fitz put his arm around his wife, who had tears falling from her face like a leaking faucet. Pregnancy hormones were a bitch. "Liv," he warned sternly. "You don't need to say anything until Abby tells you herself."

"Abby is pregnant!" She cried.

"Babe." Fitz said looking into her eyes. "You have to keep it to yourself." Olivia nodded noncommittally and they looked back at the phone.

"I just found out yesterday. Exciting, right?" Abby picked Lincoln up and kissed his cheek. "I hope this kid is as cute as you are."

Lincoln smiled at her and said, "mama".

"That's right, short stuff. Aunt Abby is gonna be a mama." The redhead hugged Lincoln close for a moment. "Do not tell your mother. She can't keep a secret. Besides, she would get all weird around me and who needs that? Am I right? Well, you know what I mean. She's a crazy mom sometimes isn't she?"

Lincoln grinned at her.

"I knew you'd understand. Let's go get a bottle and take a nap together. When we get up we'll make uncle Stephen cook us something yummy to eat." Olivia and Fitz watched Abby take Lincoln out of the room.

Stephen turned the camera on the phone around to himself. He was grinning like a lunatic. "Surprise!" He whispered. "Don't you dare say a word about this to her, Liv. I'm going to be a dad!" His grin was where the video ended.

"Ohmygod he is so cute! And what the hell does she mean, I can't keep a secret?"

Fitz shot her profile an are-you-serious look. When she turned to look at him he quickly shrugged his shoulders, changed his face to one of confusion, and shook his head. "She was probably just entertaining Lincoln. I'm sure she didn't mean it." Abby totally meant it, Fitz knew.

"And I'm not a crazy mom sometimes. Am I?"

Knowing this was getting too deep for him to not be able to lie he smiled at her and said, "Let's go finish painting. We could invite Abby and Stephen over for dinner if you want? I've got some steaks in the fridge?"

She eyed her husband skeptically. She didn't miss the fact that he didn't answer her question but decided to let it go. "Will you make apple pie for dessert?" She asked with a twinkle in her eye.

Fitz was picking up what she was putting down. His wife was flirting with him and reminding him of the last time they made apple pie together, even though it had been a while. He grinned at her before pecking her lips and gathering her into his arms. "Do you want to make the crust, Mrs. Grant? If memory serves, that is your favorite part."

Olivia reached a hand up to play with the curls that were poking out of the top of one of his old bakery polos. Her eyes flicked up to his and she asked, "It is my favorite part. Do you think we'll have time after we finish painting?"

He thought about it for a minute. "No." He watched her face fall and it made him laugh. "Because my little wife has a list of things that we have to blow through before our twin babies get here."

"I'll blow through you." She muttered and pulled out of his arms, heading for the stairs.

"THAT we have time for!" He happily called out. She kept walking, ignoring him completely.

The nursery was done and it looked beautiful. Fitz and Olivia stood in the center of the room and surveyed their hard work. "I can't wait until the furniture gets here!" Olivia clapped excitedly. "It's going to make all the difference in the world."

"Do you think we could go to the baby store tomorrow and pick up some stuffed animals to put in here? I saw a three foot giraffe online that I want to buy for them. And maybe some other stuff too?"

"Yea, good idea. We can get Lincoln some more diapers while we're there and pick up a few packs for the twins. I can't wait to get my hands on those teeny tiny diapers again! They are so cute!"

"We're probably going to have to buy the preemie ones though. They are even tinier."

Olivia rubbed her belly. "Maybe not. Maybe they will stay in there as long as they are supposed to? Besides, I don't really want to see them hooked up to machines and tubes and all of that in the NICU. We'll see though."

"Most sets of twins are born at thirty-six weeks. That's what I read online. I think you should prepare yourself for it just in case, Liv."

"Maybe so. But I don't want to think about it today." She set her roller down and added, "I'm going to go call Abby and invite them over for dinner."

"I guess I'll clean this shit up by myself then?" Fitz muttered after Olivia had left the room.

Abby and Stephen brought Lincoln home short while later and while the men talked in the kitchen, the women went upstairs so Olivia could show Abby the freshly painted nursery. "It looks great! Where are you going to put the cribs?"

"Fitz and I were talking about that the other day. They will probably want to sleep together for a while after they are born. I mean, they are sharing close quarters now, so it makes sense that they would want to be together after they are born too. I still have to do some research on it though. It's on my to-do list."

"That makes sense. But it doesn't answer my question. Where are you going to put the cribs?"

"I really can't decide. I don't know if I want them side by side or if I want a little space between them. What do you think?"

"Why the hell are you asking me? I don't have kids."

Olivia knew better, but also knew she couldn't say anything. And that was a bitch! But she went along with the game like a good friend. "What's your childless opinion?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

Abby shrugged. "I'd put them near each other. Like you said, they are sharing a tight space and they are going to end up close to each other. Don't twins have special powers or something? Like, when one is hurt the other one feels it or something?"

Olivia laughed. "I don't think so, but maybe. I don't know any twins. So you think side by side?"

"Well, when they get a little older they'll want their own space probably. I would maybe put a dresser in between their cribs. A little space is a good thing." The redhead pointed at her friend. "You don't want one of them waking the other one up screaming it's head off."

"I don't. We can't put the cribs side by side anyways because Fitz has picked out a friggin Cinderella carriage thing for Katherine."

"Katherine?"

"Yea. That's what we're naming our daughter. We're gonna call her Katie though."

"Then why wouldn't you just name her Katie to begin with?" Abby asked as she rolled her eyes. "Wait. Why does that name sound familiar anyway?"

"Because it was the name of Fitz's favorite cousin. She died from leukemia when she was eleven. I wanted to name our daughter Katherine as a way to honor her somehow. Fitz likes it."

"Ohhhh, now I remember. That's really sweet and thoughtful. Katie Grant. What's her middle name?"

Olivia sighed. "I have no idea. The other problem is we used both father's first names as Lincoln's middle name and now that we're having another son we've got nothing for a middle name for him."

"What's his first name gonna be?"

"We haven't decided yet." Olivia lamented.

"You two have a lot to do and not a lot of time to get it all done in. You and Fitz need to get crackin. Your kids don't even have names yet and you're fixated on where they will sleep."

"Shut up. When are you going to have a baby?"

That caught her off guard. And quieted her down for a minute. "Why would you ask me that?"

"Because you told me that the two of you were actively trying to get pregnant. How's that going?"

Abby had to think fast in order to throw her friend off the topic. "You want me to tell you about my sex life?"

"No, I do not! It would, you know, be nice for the babies to have a little red headed friend to play with before they are teenagers."

Abby huffed loudly at her friend. "They wouldn't be friends, they would be cousins. And I have nothing to report to you at this time." She looked around the room. "So, back to cribs. What the hell is a Cinderella crib?"

Downstairs, Fitz was telling Stephen that he had watched the phone video with Olivia earlier. They had high fived each other, giving Lincoln one as well, and were now discussing the news while dinner cooked. "Congratulations! I'm so excited for both of you. First babies are awesome. Huh, Link?"

Lincoln held out his hand and his daddy gave him a sliver of cucumber. He happily munched on it while the other two men talked.

"Lincoln is a great kid. The two of you are doing a bang up job on raising him. The thing is I've never really been around kids. I don't know anything about them, other than my time with Lincoln. I'm kinda nervous, mate. Got any suggestions?"

"Talk to my wife."

"What?"

"Talk to Liv. She was just like you when we were dating. Got really freaked out by small people."

"I've known Liv for years and she never said a word about being nervous around kids. She's a fantastic mom. What the hell did you do to transform her?"

Fitz shrugged. "I put kids around her." Stephen gave him a look of confusion and Fitz chuckled, adding, "At the time I had two small nieces. Thad's girls. I invited them to our house to spend the night with us."

"That was a good idea." Stephen said nodding. "And it makes sense. The more you are around kids the less scared of them you'll be?"

"Basically, yes. The thing is, I didn't ask Olivia first. I just invited them."

Stephen reached over and put his hands on Lincoln's ears. "Holy fuck, mate! Were you insane?"

Lincoln batted the hands off and shot Stephen a look, making both men laugh.

"It helped though. I'm not saying it's a cure all, but she got more comfortable with the girls as time went by and she's a great mom. Maybe you need the same thing? Come by here on the days that Liv is off work and get some hands on experience with Lincoln. Playing with him, changing diapers, feeding him. It could help?"

"You really think Olivia is going to let me do any of those things while she's here alone with him? Fat chance."

Fitz laughed at him again. "You've got a point. She's not going to say no to any helping hands once the twins get here though. That's your window of opportunity!" Lincoln began to whine and Fitz tried giving him another piece of cucumber but he threw it on the floor. "Link. Buddy. We're gonna eat in just a minute." When he continued to whine, Fitz carried him to the bottom of the stairs and shouted up, "Liv? Your son is acting like you again."

Immediately the short pregnant momma appeared at the top of the stairs with her hands on her hips. "So he's being an angel?"

Fitz glanced at his wiggling whining son and wrinkled his nose at his wife. "Those were my next words, oh beautiful carrier of my twins."

"Jeez." Abby said coming down the stairs and taking Lincoln from Fitz. "You guys are nauseating. Come on, short stuff. Let's go get you something good to eat."

Dinner was full of conversation of just about everything except babies. Olivia wanted to be respectful of her friend's pregnancy even though it was killing her not to say anything. The only mishap was when Abby got really still when Stephen passed her the salad, which had sliced hard boiled eggs in it. She closed her eyes and looked like she was going to throw up. Stephen had no idea what was wrong but moved the bowl away from her, assuming she didn't want any.

Abby took a deep breath in and smiled at everyone. "I thought I was gonna sneeze there for a minute."

Everyone let the lie pass.

At the end of the meal, Fitz kissed Liv on the cheek and said he and Stephen would clean up the kitchen, earning him a death glare from his friend. They watched their women go into the living room with Lincoln and Stephen jabbed Fitz in the ribs. "Why the hell are we doing the dishes?"

"Because if Abby gets anywhere near this bowl of salad she is gonna throw up. Come on, MATE." Fitz said, slapping him on the back. "You have to take care of her while she's at the morning sickness part. All the parts. Protect your woman!"

Stephen nodded. "You're right. I didn't think about that. There is a lot to learn about living with an expecting mother. It's good to know that I have a seasoned pro for a friend."

"Damn straight. Wait until the fourth month though." Fitz teased. "That's when the pay off comes if you're lucky."

Stephen paled. "What happens in the fourth month?"

Fitz chuckled and walked into the living room, leaving Stephen with the pots and pans. "You'll see."

"Thanks for letting us keep short stuff today. We had a great time together. Stephen even changed a diaper. Who knew he had those kind of skills?" She said smiling.

"That skill comes in awfully handy when you have a baby." Liv said, taking Lincoln from her. "Let me know if you aren't able to make it to work on Monday. I'll be home and Lincoln and I can come check on you. Can't we buddy?"

"I'm sure I'll be fine. Bye, Lincoln." Abby waved from the doorway.

Lincoln looked over at his aunt Abby and grinned. "Mama" he said.

Abby had that deer in headlights look on her face again and everyone noticed it. She laughed nervously and ruffled Lincoln's hair. "He's probably just saying that because he spent a few hours with me this afternoon. He's a cutie."

Stephen shook Fitz's hand, kissed Liv on the cheek, and gave Lincoln another high five. "I'll see you at the office next week, Liv. We need to schedule a meeting at your earliest convenience please."

Olivia gave him a look full of silent question, but said nothing. "Sure. I'll reach out Tuesday morning." As soon as the front door was closed, Olivia burst out laughing. "Lincoln Grant! You're supposed to keep secrets, not spill them. And you only have one mama. Me!"

He looked up at his mother and put his chubby hands on her cheeks. He leaned his face closer to her and opened his mouth for a kiss, which she happily complied with. All content, Lincoln laid his head on her shoulder as she rubbed his back.

"I wonder why Stephen wants to schedule a meeting for?" Olivia wondered aloud.

Fitz had a pretty good idea. "I think he wants to talk to you about babies."

"Really? Why? What makes you say that?"

"He told me earlier that he's kinda nervous about being a dad because he hasn't really had much experience with babies. I told him to talk to you about it. It's probably what he wants to talk about."

Olivia stood in front of her husband. "That was sweet of you."

"Well, I'm a sweet kinda guy."

"You are. It's part of the reason why I married you." She said grinning.

"What are the other parts?" he asked with a knowing smile.

Lincoln watched his parents. They had those crazy looks on their faces again. That probably meant an early bedtime for him tonight.

Olivia looked at the cute mass of curls in her arms and said, "I can't really say in front of Lincoln."

"I understand."

"But after he is put to bed I'd be more than happy to point them out to you."

A wolfish grin crossed Fitz's face. "Really? I would be very interested in knowing what they are."

"Why don't you go jump in the shower and I'll give little man a bath in the other bathroom. We can all read a book together and then lights out for him." Olivia suggested.

"Can we please just live in the second trimester, babe? I love how it turns you into a raging little nympho so much!" He leaned down and kissed her until Lincoln pushed him away and laid his head possessively on his mother's shoulder.

"I don't think Lincoln likes you hogging me in front of him?"

Fitz rubbed his son's back. "Sorry, buddy. I'll try to keep it to a minimum while you're awake. But once you're asleep, she's all mine." He blew raspberries on Lincoln's cheeks, making him giggle. "Hey! I almost forgot. Do you happen to have your share of the money this time? You still owe me from the last gift. Don't think that I've forgotten."

Lincoln picked up his head, looked at his daddy, and grinned.

"I'll be taking it out of your allowance until you're at least sixteen."

"What are you talking about now?" Olivia asked.

"We got you a little something. Right, Link?" Fitz handed his wife the little box and watched her eyes light up.

She looked at Lincoln and asked, "What have you and your daddy done now?" Fitz took his son out of Olivia's arms and the two of them watched her open the surprise. She brought her hand to her chest and looked on the verge of tears again.

"We forgot to stop at the baby store on the way home from the ultrasound appointment where I would ditch you and run across the street to the jewelry store to buy your charms for the twins. Better late than never though, right?"

"I have another blue charm just like yours, Lincoln. And I have a pink one now too." She showed them to her son, who reached a hand out to grab them. "Thank you, Fitz. I love them. I can't wait to put them on my bracelet." She kissed him and then Lincoln's cheek. "Thank you, baby."

"You're welcome. Remember how happy you're feeling later when you are pointing out my parts in the dark." He wiggled his eyebrows at her while she shook her head at him.

"Go take a shower, perv." Olivia took Lincoln back and shoved Fitz toward the stairs. When he was gone, Olivia looked down at her son who was still happily resting on her. "Do you wanna go take a bath?"

Lincoln picked up his head and grinned at her. She knew the magic word! Bath!

"Okay, let's go get you a diaper and some jammies laid out and then go fill up the tub." Olivia lifted him up to her eye level and added, "But first I need some Lincoln kisses."

Lincoln giggled all the way to his bedroom while his mother kissed his face.


	32. Getting Prepared

Getting Prepared

"The cribs should be delivered soon. I'm so excited!"

Fitz picked his head up and looked at his smiling wife. "I don't really want to talk about the cribs right now. I'm kinda busy here." When she shot him a look he added, "Shouldn't you be moaning right about now?"

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I do not moan."

His eyebrows went up. "Yes, you most certainly do."

"Shut up. I do not!" Even if she did, why couldn't he understand that she was so excited about the twins' cribs arriving?

He grinned at her. "You want me to prove you wrong?"

"You can try." She said dismissively.

His head eagerly disappeared back to between her spread legs.

"It won't work though. I'm thinking about criiii..." She grabbed a handful of the wadded up sheet, inhaled sharply, followed by a breathy "Ahhhhh! Fiiiiiitzz!"

Fitz smirked to himself and wrote his name with his tongue on her lady parts.

"Right OHMYGOD there! Ohhhhhh!"

Damn straight she moaned. After her ear piercing scream, Fitz knew his job there was done. He was going to enjoy giving moaning Mabel a hard time about it for the unforeseeable future. He crawled up to his pillow and laid on his chest while his wife trembled from the aftershocks. He had a proud grin on his face. "You were saying?"

"I hate you sometimes." Olivia panted out.

"Is that any way to speak to the father of your children? You loved every minute of it."

"What did we say about making bets while we're in bed together?"

"What did we say about making false claims?"

Olivia scrunched her face up at him. "We have never talked about that before, Fitz."

He leaned over and pecked her lips. "Right. But now we know we shouldn't do it." He grinned as his wife sighed impatiently. "You know you love me."

"You are kinda cute. I suppose."

"I am a stud. A manly man. An amazing specimen of the male form. A..."

"Pain in my ass." She finished in a voice void of emotion. Olivia rolled onto her side and started to get up off their bed. "But you are going to put two cribs together the minute they arrive. And as soon as our son wakes up we are going to go shopping for the twins using the list I have made."

"You really turn me on when you start talking about lists, babe." Fitz chuckled. "Come back to bed so I can put my check mark in your box."

Olivia shook her head back and forth at him. "That is super tempting, but I'm good." She replied sarcastically.

"Let me know if you change your mind. I got what you need."

Lincoln could be heard over the baby monitor whining with pleas for dada mixed in between. Olivia pointed at the monitor. "Right now, I need you to go get mini Fitz and change his diaper. I've got to pee for the hundredth time today. These babies are parked on my bladder lately."

Fitz stayed where he was and enjoyed looking at his wife. She had on nothing but a lavender colored cami that didn't quite cover up her big belly or her growing boobs. She had let her hair grow out and it hung down the middle of her back in wavy strands. Her skin was smooth as silk. She was absolutely stunning.

He sat up on the bed and reached for her hand. She turned around and met his gaze. "You are really beautiful, Liv." She opened her mouth to say something but he interrupted her. "Don't say something sarcastic or self-deprecating about your belly or your ass, or whatever body part you think looks ginormous today. You know that I don't lie to you, and I'm telling you that you look amazing."

Olivia smiled at her very charming husband. How did he always know when she was having days of feeling large and slow? She put a hand on his shoulder and leaned toward him, touching her lips to his. "My manly man is very sweet and thoughtful. Thank you. " She let go of his hand and made her way to the bathroom. "By the way, that's how you get your checkmark in my box."

Fitz laughed all the way to Lincoln's room.

The three of them walked into the baby store with Lincoln sitting in one buggy pushed by his father while Olivia pushed another one behind them. She pulled the piece of paper from her bag to go over some of the items they needed to buy. "We need to get ready for these two because there's no telling when I'll be able to get out with all three of them once they are born."

"Well, you'll have to take them to the doctor for their six-week check-up. So there's that."

Olivia thought back to the day she had taken Lincoln for his six-week check-up and shuddered. "We're not talking about that today. It was a big enough adventure taking one baby to the doctor. Twins will be twice the fun and I'll have to drag someone to go with me because there is no way that I will be able to do that by myself. But we're not talking about that today."

"Right." Fitz said quietly. He pushed Lincoln down the closest aisle and asked, "What's first?"

"Diapers! We are going to need tons of them! Of course, we don't have to get them all today..."

"Are you sure?" Fitz asked. He snatched the paper from his wife's hand. "Let me see the list to make sure."

"Don't be a smartass" She said, reaching for the paper as her husband held it high over his head and looked up at it.

"According to the list, we have to buy ten boxes. Ten boxes, Liv?" He shot her a look. "C'mon. They don't stay in one size long enough to use ten boxes of the same size."

She quietly held her hand out as her eyebrows rose. When Fitz finally handed her the list, pecking her on the lips, she said, "We're going to be buying different sizes. Besides, Abby insists on throwing us a baby shower, so we'll get more there. I just want to get a little ahead of the game."

"Are you calling our life with twins a game?"

"Remember those two words I said to you earlier this morning?" She asked.

He grinned at her. "Do you mean 'Ohhhhh Fitz!'"

Her eyes grew wide and she grabbed the front of his shirt, yanking his ridiculously handsome face down so they were face to face. "NO! I'm referring to when I told you to shut up!"

"You're so easy to provoke sometimes. Come here." He said grinning as he pulled her into his arms and held her. "I won't provoke you while we're in the store, okay?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "You have truly mastered the art of compromise, babe. Thank you. I've got to pee."

"Again? You just went before we left the house!"

"I'm blaming you for my frequent trips to the restroom."

"How in the hell is it my fault that you have to pee every twenty minutes?" He asked exasperatedly.

"Because you're the one who got me pregnant." She said and walked away.

"I didn't do it alone, woman." Fitz sat down on a nearby bench and looked at Lincoln. "If you want to keep your sanity, stay single, son. But if you like a little adventure, marry a woman like your mother."

Lincoln stared at his father. No one was better than mommy. He was sure of it.

A short while later, Olivia had her buggy full of boxes of diapers of various sizes. She pushed it ahead of them as to direct their course through the store. The three of them wandered into the cute little baby clothes and it wasn't long before Olivia was steering the buggy with Lincoln in it because Fitz had abandoned them and was busy picking outfits for the twins.

"Liv! Look at this one!" Fitz said excitedly and held up a small pink frothy looking something.

Olivia closed her eyes and prayed for patience. The 'watch me, mommy' phase was starting a little too early for her liking. The bad part about it was that it wasn't even one of her children wanting her attention. She never should have gone anywhere near the baby clothes. Who knew how long they would be here now? "That's a little..." She made hand gestures, trying to find the right word to describe exactly what it was. "much."

"Babe, our tiny princess is going to look like one. That means that her clothes have to be pink and cute." He flicked through a few racks and said, "Why don't newborn clothes come with a tiara?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "What about our son? You haven't picked anything for him to wear yet." She handed Lincoln a fuzzy duck she had picked up for him earlier and watched him play with it. "Do we want to dress the twins in matching clothes or as individuals?"

"They might be twins, but don't you think we should probably not go the matchey route since one is a boy and one is a girl? Besides, I want to buy Katie lots of pink stuff. Tutu's, dresses, all of that girly stuff. Daddy's princess is going to look as beautiful as her mother always does."

"And when she spits up on her clothes? Or blows out a diaper on something?" Olivia said questioningly.

"Then we'll have to buy her lots of cute stuff to have as a spare."

"Of course, we will. I'll tell you what. You pick seven onesies for each of the twins and I'll pick seven for each of them. Deal?"

"Deal." He quickly went back into the racks of clothes chuckling every so often as he read the captions on some of the onesies. He quickly had seven of them and looked around to see if there was anything cuter that he could trade for what was in his hands. Seven onesies weren't enough! He'd make a secret trip back after work one night to get more.

"Okay, that's long enough, baby daddy. Let's see what you've come up with." Olivia challenged.

If you think I'm cute you should see my daddy  
I'm not allowed to date. Ever.  
I'm daddy's girl and mommy's world  
I found my prince & his name is daddy  
Bows before bros  
Daddy's little cupcake  
My daddy is crazy in love with me

Olivia read each one and, dammit, fell in love with each onesie more than the last one. Fitz had chosen well for their daughter. "Those are very cute. I love them and Katie will look really cute in them. There's an awful lot of daddy on those onesies though."

Fitz rifled through them, put one in front, and pointed at it. "This one has mommy on it too. Just admit that I made some great onesie choices, Liv."

"I already did. Besides, I made up for your lack of mommy material." She held out her choices and watched his face light up as he read each one.

Mommy + me = one broke daddy  
I'm cute, Mom's hot, Dad's lucky  
Sorry daddy you now have two bosses  
The real boss  
Feed me and tell me I'm pretty  
I may have a small finger but I have daddy wrapped around it  
Every mom gave birth to a child except mine. She gave birth to a legend

Fitz laughed loudly at her choices and put his arms around her. "I wanna pick out seven more."

"No, no, no. We have got to get you out of the baby clothes as soon as possible! Did you pick out seven for our baby prince? He really needs a name, Fitz."

"We'll work on that soon. Of course I picked him out some clothes. Did you?"

She shot him a look and handed them over for his inspection.

Straight up mama's boy  
Daddy knows A lot but mommy knows everything  
50% Mommy 50% Daddy 100% perfection  
If you wake me my mom will cut you  
Diaper loading...Please wait  
Sometimes I'm cranky, but I'm always cute  
I try to be good, but I take after daddy

"Smartass." Fitz said mildly.

"Let's see what you picked out." She suggested.

My dad can kick your dad's ass  
I just got here and I'm already awesome  
Ladies, I have arrived  
My mom thinks she's in charge. That's so cute  
I'm not crying I'm ordering dinner  
My daddy will teach me the fun stuff  
If I could talk I would say I love my daddy

"Cute. A little heavy on the daddy love, but that's understandable considering who picked them out. We're done with clothes. We have a list that we are sticking by. Let's go."

"Link? You want some candy?" Fitz asked.

Olivia took the handle on the buggy their son was sitting in and shot Fitz a look. "He doesn't. He has his ducky. Right, Lincoln?"

"What else is on the list, buzzkill?" Fitz asked as he grabbed the handle of the diaper loaded buggy.

She glanced at her list. "Let's do bottles next. We are going to need twice as many as we have now for the twins. And while we're over there, we need to grab some formula."

They grabbed a large number of plastic bottles, nipples, and rings. Olivia picked up a couple of stackers for them to all air dry on. Fitz stacked six cases of formula into the buggy behind their son's back. He hated to think of the amount that would be given to them at the check out, but all of the items inside the buggies were necessary. And they weren't done yet.

"We need to get the twins each a car seat. Do you want to get them today or wait a few weeks?" She looked at both buggys and winced. "All this is gonna cost a pretty penny already. Two car seats are going to make it much worse. There's no rush to buy them today. We can wait a while."

"Let's go pick out car seats. After our baby shower, we will re-evaluate what else we will need for the babies. Sound good to you?"

"Sounds perfect to me." She turned to Lincoln. "Does that sound good to you sweet boy?" Mini Fitz kicked his legs excitedly. "Besides, my feet are swollen and I want to go home and lay down for a while."

Fitz kissed her temple. "Then let's make this quick."

Once they were home, Olivia stirred in her sleep when she heard a noise in the house followed by muffled voices. She squinted, picked up her head, and looked to her left. Fitz wasn't beside her in their bed. Very slowly she got up and made her way downstairs. From the top of the staircase she could see their front door was open and Fitz was helping a man carry in several large boxes. The cribs were here!

A little while later...

"You are the best, babe. Thank you so much for putting them together! I'm so excited to finally have the cribs here. And they are so beautiful too." She felt tears on her cheeks before she had even finished the sentence. "I'm sorry."

Fitz chuckled and brought her into his arms. "It's okay to cry. These cribs are perfect. We did good, Liv." He brought her to his side and they looked around the sage green nursery. "Do you have any ideas as to where you're going to put them and the other furniture?"

"I have some ideas. The girls and I will probably try a couple of spots and see which one we like best. Are you okay with not being a part of that? I don't want you to feel left out or that your opinion doesn't matter to me. It does." She said looking up at him.

Fitz made a face. "Interior decorating isn't my thing. As long as they are close to each other for the next few months I don't care where you put them. We can move them further apart when they are a little older and possibly get different sleep patterns. Besides, Link and I have been invited to lunch with our fathers for male bonding."

"That sounds like fun! Lincoln will love to see his grandfathers. It's a nice day outside today too. One of the last warm days until the fall weather hits. We're going to have to get him a Halloween costume soon before all the good ones are gone. And then we'll have to start planning for his first birthday party. And Christmas" She turned her face into his chest. "My baby is going to be a year old soon."

"Let's get through Halloween and Thanksgiving first please."

"Fine. I'm going to re-check the diaper bag to make sure you have everything. The girls should be here in about fifteen minutes."

Ten minutes later, Abby and Yvonne walked into the house without knocking and noticed Olivia asleep in the living room armchair. Abby looked down at her friend and then back to Yvonne. "Can you imagine being pregnant with twins? I bet she stays exhausted. Poor Liv."

"Poor Liv is resting her eyes and still has enough energy to get up and kick your skinny ass." She threatened.

"Being pregnant with twins makes her bitchy too." Yvonne commented. Abby giggled and the two were interrupted from any further comments about their friend when happy babbling was heard from the stairs. "Lincoln!"

Abby and Yvonne raced to the stairs to see who would get him first as Fitz watched shaking his head. "There's enough Link love to go around, ladies." He passed his son to Yvonne knowing she hadn't seen him recently and went to the ottoman, putting his wife's feet in his lap, and began rubbing them.

"You've gotten so big Mr. Cuteness." She turned around and gave Olivia a hate filled look. "Why are you letting him grow up so fast?"

"I'm defiant like that." Olivia replied. "Babe? Can you stay here and just do that all day long? Please? I will love you forever and ever."

Lincoln was busy playing with Yvonne's chunky blue necklace and didn't care about what they were talking about at the moment. "Can you say Vonnie?" Yvonne asked him.

"You'll love me forever and ever anyways, wife. But I will rub your feet until we have to go." Fitz replied.

Lincoln lifted his gaze and studied this woman's face. He couldn't even say nana yet, there was no way he could say Vonnie. He went back to the necklace as she held him. If only he could get it off her head.

"Nice try. His next word is going to be Ab bee. Right munchkin?" Abby held out her arms to him, but Lincoln was still busy with the necklace and wasn't interested in leaving it. He looked at Abby and then back to the necklace.

"Nice try, Ab bee." Yvonne said laughing. "He loves me more. You might want to pick one of the twins as your kid. Lincoln seems to love me more than you."

Knowing how to get his attention, Abby grabbed the blue necklace and slid it off of Yvonne's head and excitedly held her arms out to Lincoln once again. He went right to her, leaving Yvonne open mouthed. "Really? Cause he seems to be happy with me right now."

"You're a hateful cow with baby hogging issues. You know it?"

Fitz and Olivia laughed at their crazy friends and watched the show.

"I do know it. Now pick a twin and leave me and my favorite alone." Abby was about to sit down on the sofa, but made a face and thought better of it as thoughts of Fitz and Thad's scuffle came back into her mind. She sat down in the recliner with Lincoln instead.

A car horn beeped outside and Fitz jumped up. He hated the leave the show, but was ready to be around some testosterone. He went into the kitchen to wash his hands and grabbed the diaper bag on his way to get his son. Abby reluctantly handed Lincoln to Fitz after kissing his cheek and taking the necklace from him. "Say bye, Link."

Olivia slowly got up and stood in front of her two favorite guys. "Make sure he is buckled up good. Don't let my father speed with my son in the car..."

Fitz crinkled his nose at his wife. "I know how to parent, Liv."

Now it was Abby and Yvonne's turn to laugh as they watched.

"...Do not let him eat too much junk or he'll be wired for hours later on."

The car horn beeped again.

"Liv, we've gotta go. I've got this. You three go decorate wild kingdom upstairs, but don't overdo it. I'll paddle your ass if you do!"

"Let's make sure she overdoes it. She'll thank us later." Yvonne whispered to Abby. The two of them giggled.

"Take care of my son, baby daddy. Give mama a kiss, Lincoln."

"We'll be back in a few hours. I love you." Fitz said, pecking his wife's lips.

She opened the door and watched them leave. "I love you more." She called out.

"It's not possible, woman. Go decorate!"

Olivia shut the door and turned to her friends. They had impatient looks on their faces. "What?" She demanded.

"The two of you are..." Yvonne began.

"Friggin ridiculous!" Abby finished. "I love you more." She added, mimicking Olivia's voice.

"Shut up! Let's get this done so I can take a nap before they get back."

When Yvonne reached the nursery she loudly exclaimed, "What the hell is this thing? Is that a crib or our ride to the store later?"

Abby and Olivia burst out laughing. "That is the product of a father who is already whipped by his unborn daughter. He chose the crib. I just went with it. He's excited to be having a girl. I'm giving him his moment. And when she turns ten, crawls into his lap, and tells him she loves him he won't know that she is playing him for something. But I will. And I'll get to watch him struggle to say no because he's always said yes."

"Wow. Someone has thought a lot about this." Abby observed.

"Damn straight. Fitz thinks it's all going to be rainbows and hugs and daddy's girl and.."

"Hold up! You are the biggest daddy's girl I have ever known."

"Shut up, Abby and let's get this room together. Can you pick up that end of the crib and we'll move it to that wall and see how it looks?"

"Ummmm. Not really."

"What do you mean? Grab it and we'll move it together."

Abby looked around the room until her eyes landed on Olivia. "I can't. If you want me to put stuffed animals in place, I can do that. If you want me to hang the pictures, I can do that too. Hell, I can even put away the few items of clothing you have bought or stack diapers. But I can't move the cribs. I'm sorry."

Yvonne looked at Olivia with a knot brow. "Why are you here then?"

"Because I want to help. I just can't...lift anything."

Olivia knew the reason why but couldn't let up on her friend because then she would know that she knew. She wanted the redhead to spill the beans already, even though it was really early in the pregnancy. "Why can't you help move the cribs?" They had wheels on them, but Olivia wasn't going to tell Abby that now.

"I can't tell you." When Olivia and Yvonne's eyes went wide Abby stood there having an internal debate with herself.

"You have a secret!" Yvonne accused. "What is it? Did Stephen blow out your back with too much sex? Did you pull a muscle in your ridiculously scrawny arms? Tell us what it is!"

Abby huffed loudly and pointed at both women. "If I tell you, you cannot breathe a word of it to anyone."

"Ohmy..." Yvonne began excitedly.

"ANYONE!" Abby shrieked. "Promise me."

"Yea, yea. I promise. This is huge! Let's hear it."

"You'll feel better if you tell us and don't have to keep whatever it is a secret anymore." Olivia tried.

Abby's head snapped to her best friend and she stared at her. Olivia looked anywhere but directly at Abby. Abby crossed to Olivia and got in her face. "You already know, don't you?"

Olivia jerked her head back. "Know what?" She shrugged her shoulders, still not making eye contact.

"You DO know! How you know is what I wanna know?"

"What are you talking about?" Olivia asked innocently.

Yvonne sat in a rocker and watched the drama unfold before her. She would kill for some popcorn right now.

"You don't make eye contact when you are lying."

"Whaaaat? That's ridiculous." Olivia glanced up at Abby's eyes and then to the crib behind the fired up redhead. "I don't even know what we're talking about to be lying about it."

"See! You can't look me in the eye and say that. You bitch! Who told..." Abby slapped her hand on her head and took a step back. "Only two people know my secret."

Olivia knew where this was going and it was gonna be bad.

"And if I didn't tell you then that just leaves the other person. I'm gonna kill Stephen Finch when I get home later!"

"Who cares? Liv knows. Now tell me so we'll all know! You look crazy as hell screaming. Your face is as red as your hair. What is it?"

Abby looked at Olivia and then to Yvonne. She shrugged with a smile on her face. "I'm pregnant."

"WHAT?!" Yvonne screeched and jumped to her feet. "Oh. My. God! This IS huge! Congratulations, Abby! How far along are you?"

But Abby was looking at Olivia as Yvonne hugged her excitedly. "I'm due in May. I was trying to keep it quiet and waiting for the perfect moment to tell you both. I guess Stephen had other ideas? Jerk."

Olivia picked up her phone and handed it to her redheaded friend. "He sent me this a few weeks ago. When Fitz and I were painting the nursery. You should watch it."

All three women huddled around the small hand held devise and giggled at the crazy British man who was obviously delirious about becoming a father. "He really is crazy, isn't he?"

Olivia smiled and took her phone back. "If it makes you feel any better, Fitz had a huge sale at the bakery the day after we found out we were having twins. Buy one get one free." Olivia rolled her eyes. "I thought Charlotte was gonna have a stroke!"

"That's sweet. And good marketing. Why didn't you tell me about that? I would have stocked up on all my favorite pastries!" Yvonne whined.

"I'm really happy for the two of you, Abs. You're both going to be fantastic parents. And I finally get to be an aunt!" Olivia said with a huge grin on her face.

Abby looked back at the cribs. "Don't ever let Stephen see that pumpkin on wheels. He will want one too. I just know he's gonna be a crazy dad like Fitz. He's kinda nervous about having a baby though."

"Maybe not anymore?" Olivia offered.

"What do you mean?"

"He came and talked to me last week."

"He did?" Abby asked. "About what?"

"Babies." Olivia said simply. "He hasn't really been around kids a lot, and being a guy, kids make him nervous. We just talked about what life was like when you have a baby. I gave him a book to read so he'll know what is going on with you while you're pregnant too. He's gonna help with the twins to get some experience before your baby gets here."

"You did?" Abby asked with a sniffle.

"Nope! I can't do this!" Yvonne stated firmly. "You!" She said pointing to Abby. "Dry that shit up! And you!" She said, pointing to Olivia. "Don't be saying sappy stuff and being all 'I gave him a book to read'. I can't deal with both of you being emotional nightmares every day until both of you spit out your kids! Knock it off!"

"Why do we keep her around again?" Olivia asked with a smile.

"Because she loves us and she knows when she ends up getting pregnant that we will be there for her too. I think she needs a group hug?"

"Come here you mean bitch and let us hug you!"

Yvonne was on her feet before Olivia finished her sentence. The three of them looked like a mini football team huddled up together. After the tears were dried and the smiles were put back into place, the women got busy setting up the room.

Abby hung up the pictures on the nursery walls and commented on how cute they were while Yvonne and Olivia wheeled the cribs into position. Diapers were stacked in the baskets under the changing table and all three of them commented on how small and cute they were. All of the bedding had been washed and the cribs were made up. Large stuffed animals were placed around the room and Yvonne easily moved the empty dressers into place. All the nursery needed was two healthy babies. And some more clothes.

"I'm starving! Let's go get some lunch." Yvonne suggested.

"Yes! I love that idea!" Olivia cheered.

"Finally! A good suggestion from you!" Abby commented.

"You're not experiencing morning sickness these days? The thought of food doesn't make you gag?" Olivia asked in a bewildered voice.

Yvonne chuckled and pointed a finger at her boss. "This one took a sick day when she was pregnant with Lincoln. She couldn't hold down crackers or Sprite. It was hilarious."

Olivia's eyebrows shot up and she tapped her foot impatiently at her assistant. "Hilarious? I guess it depends on who you are in that story." Turning her attention back to Abby, she waited for an answer.

"Nah. No nausea. In fact, I'm hungrier than I ever was before. All the time too!"

"I kinda hate you right now." Olivia admitted. "But at least you aren't going to make lunch awkward with morning sickness taking over your body. This is actually a good thing because you're too thin. A little baby weight will look good on you, Abs."

"Why do you want me to imagine myself walking around with a big ole belly? That's the only part I'm not looking forward to." Abby admitted.

"You might wanna re-think the birthing process then." Yvonne muttered.

"You!" Abby said pointing at Yvonne. "Pipe down with all the scare tactics, since you have zero experience with motherhood yet! Because of your mouth you can drive."

"That's fine by me. The two of you drive like old ladies now anyway."


	33. Sleep Isn't Always The Answer

Sleep Isn't Always The Answer

Crying filled the room from the baby monitor on the bedside table.

Olivia opened her tired eyes and groaned quietly. She felt exhausted all the way in her bones. The glorious relationship she and sleep had enjoyed for the past several months had been a beautiful thing and Olivia missed it very much. Her eyes felt like someone had kicked sand in them. The t-shirt she was wearing had a vomit stain on it from the previous night, but she had been too exhausted to even change her shirt. She had no idea what her hair looked like because she had been avoiding mirrors altogether the last few weeks, but she guessed it wasn't pretty. She felt like a zombie and probably looked like one as well.

She sat up on her side of the bed and blinked her eyes a few times in an effort to shake off the overwhelming fatigue she had been experiencing the past few weeks. With her feet on the floor, Olivia took a deep breath and willed herself to stand up. Her body refused and begged for more sleep. "Gotta get up" she mumbled to herself, trying to tell her body what her mind knew she had to do.

She glanced at the clock even though she knew she would instantly regret doing so.

2:08

The three red digital numbers taunted her somehow. She hated them for that. It seemed that was all they did these days - and nights. She thought about unplugging the stupid thing, so she wouldn't have to look at it anymore, to see the reminder of just how little sleep she had gotten since the last time she had closed her eyes. But the stupid contraption to keep up with feeding times. She threw her middle finger up at it instead.

The crying continued.

Fitz groaned on the bed behind her and sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. "Didn't we just feed them?" He asked in a sleep filled voice.

"We did." Olivia plainly said.

"What could they possibly want now?" He asked.

"Their own apartment, maybe?" Olivia half joked.

Fitz crawled over to his wife and kissed the top of her head. "Only eighteen more years to go, Liv."

"If they wake up Lincoln again, they will be getting their own apartment a lot sooner than eighteen years." She groaned tiredly. "Let's go."

The two of them stood up and hand in hand went to the nursery and flicked on the lamp in the corner of the room. They parted ways as Fitz went to Katie's crib while Olivia went to their son's. Fitz wasted no time leaning over the crib rail and picking his daughter up. "What's the matter with daddy's girl?" He cooed to the infant. She quieted at the sound of his voice and her little brown eyes looked up at him and blinked repeatedly. He checked her diaper and babbled to her while he did so. She was as dry as the desert.

Fitz carried his daughter to one of the rocking chairs and sat down with her. "You're supposed to be asleep young lady. Would you care to explain yourself?"

Katie looked at her daddy with wide eyes. He looked tired and she felt a little bit guilty for waking him up. But she missed him. It had surely been days since she had seen him the last time? She loved it when he talked to her. His voice was deep and soothing, and he always listened to her when she had something to say. Daddy had the best smile and he made silly faces too. His curly hair was always messy when he came to talk to her in the middle of the night. In the day time it looked like he did something to it and she didn't like that as much as when his curls were going in every direction. She cooed at her daddy and watched him smile sleepily at her.

"I know you love me, but that is no reason to wake your mother and I up at this crazy hour. No ma'am, it's not. She's going to ship you and your brother off to boarding school if you don't start sleeping through the night." He brought her close to his face and kissed her soft cheek before he began talking in a whisper. "I won't let her do that sweet pea." Once she was cradled in his arm, Fitz added, "Don't tell your mother that I gave you a goofy nickname either."

Katie began to cry again.

Olivia didn't even check her son's diaper. She just changed it anyways. Her body was on autopilot and diapers always came first. He screamed bloody murder the entire time, even though she was talking to him in gentle tones. "Hey, hey, hey. What's the matter with my littlest man? I can't help it if your booty is wet and needs to be changed. Is that what woke you up?"

She carried him to the other rocking chair and Olivia congratulated herself on verbalizing the need for two rockers in the nursery earlier in her pregnancy. She held him up in front of her as he sat on her crossed bare legs. "Did you have to wake your sister up though? That was unnecessary don't you think?"

He wished he could explain to his mother that his twin had been awake before he was. That she had been the one to wake him up in fact. But nobody believed that the princess was capable of such things. When they got older, he was going to change that. And yea, he had wet his pants. Didn't everybody? But for some reason it was a big deal when it was dark? He didn't say any of those things, but he looked at his mother with wide blue eyes for a moment before he continued crying.

Fitz stood up and told Olivia he'd like some male bonding time with his son. He passed Katie to her mother and took the male twin from her arms. He walked around the room with him, pointing out random things as he tried to get him to stop crying. He bounced him as he walked. He talked to his son softly. Nothing was working.

Another cry could be heard from another room and both parents froze. Their eyes darted to each other and listened. Sure enough, the twins had woken up their big brother and now he wasn't happy either. The twins had woken Lincoln up three other times just this week with their crying. Olivia frustratingly dropped her head against the back of the rocker with a soft thud. They were never going to get a full night's sleep at this rate.

She took a deep breath and said, "Give him to me. You go get Lincoln. Let's all be awake together."

Fitz set their youngest son in Olivia's arms and he kissed her forehead. "I'll change his diaper and be right back. I promise."

Olivia rocked the twins and prayed for silence and patience in equal measure. It was going to be a long night for the five of them. Again. She closed her eyes and thought back to the days when she would sleep on Fitz's chest without a care in the world. She would have that again. When the kids started college. She chuckled at her own mom humor and looked down at her two precious babies. "The two of you are turning into night owls. Staying up all hours of the night and sleeping all day. We're gonna have to fix that somehow. Yes, we are."

Moments later, Fitz carried in a whiney Lincoln in his arms. "Hey, momma's big boy." She tried sounding upbeat, but it was difficult at the moment. "If you'll take one of the twins, I'll take Lincoln." She told her husband.

Fitz picked up their youngest son again and Lincoln was put on Olivia's lap. Lincoln looked down at the infant held by his mother and then at her. "Can you tell Katie hello?" Olivia asked him.

Lincoln looked at the small squirming bundle of tiny arms and legs beside him and then up at his mother. He wasn't very thrilled that he had been woken up by the babies yet again. He was even less thrilled that his mother wanted him to act like waking up in the middle of the night was a common occurrence and that he should somehow just go with the flow and chat with his new sister. These babies had to learn how to sleep at night, so his mommy wouldn't look so tired all the time. He reached his small hand up and touched his mother's cheek. "Mama" was all he said before he laid his head against her chest.

Olivia rubbed the back of his head and tried not to cry. Lincoln was just a little over a year old, but he already knew how to make her feel a little stronger in moments such as these. She sighed and tilted her head to rest on top of his and continued to rock two of her babies. "Your baby sister needs to go to sleep, doesn't she Lincoln?"

"Baby brother is out like a light." Fitz whispered as he carefully laid their son down in his crib.

"How in the hell did you do that so fast?" Olivia quietly demanded.

Fitz went his wife, squatted down in front of the little trio, and grinned at her. "I told him the story of how we met. Apparently, he's not a fan of it." He held his open arms out to Lincoln and asked, "You wanna go downstairs with daddy and get a snack, Link?"

Forgetting all about his tired mother, Lincoln immediately leaned towards his father with a huge smile and was scooped up in his big arms. Snack time in the middle of the night? Maybe the babies waking up in the middle of the night wasn't such a bad thing after all? "Do you want anything, babe? Other than sleep, I mean?"

"Nah, I'm good thank you. She'll drift off in a few minutes and we'll start all over again."

Fitz leaned close to her and pecked her lips. Lincoln watched his parents and decided he wanted a mommy kiss too. He leaned towards her face with an open mouth and she smiled before kissing him. "Just remember the wise words of...I don't know...somebody, when they said this too shall pass."

She shot him a look and sarcastically said, "I'm betting whoever said that didn't have twins who were allergic to sleep."

Fitz laughed and then put his hand over his mouth as not to wake their son and stood up with Lincoln. "Probably not. I'll be back to check on my two favorite ladies shortly."

Olivia closed her eyes, laid her head back, and began softly humming to Katie. The infant fell asleep fairly quickly and Olivia held her daughter close for quite a while, enjoying the mommy daughter time, before daring to stand up and put her in her crib. She checked on Katie's twin brother and gently kissed his head before turning off the light and tip toeing out of the nursery.

She knew that Fitz would take care of Lincoln, just as she knew the twins would be awake before she could get comfortable in her bed, so she made her way to her bedroom to lay down before they started the process all over again. There in the bed, was a sprawled out and passed out Fitz and Lincoln. The two Grant men had ninety percent of the entire king-sized bed occupied with their bodies and she took a moment to just look at them with a heart full of love. And envy. Olivia slid Lincoln over to the center of the bed as gently as she could and quickly took the available space on the edge before he shifted back over to her. She was asleep the second she closed her eyes.

At 4:17 the twins woke up crying again and this time Olivia knew they would want bottles. She glanced to her left and saw Fitz and Lincoln still sleeping soundly, so she crept out of bed and went down to the kitchen to prepare the babies' formula. While the cold bottles warmed, she went back upstairs to check diapers. Katie was wet, but her brother had a blow out. That meant a change of clothes, a change of sheets on his bed, and more laundry. Great.

The babies were clean, but still wailing for their bottles and Olivia was trying her best to keep it together and not cry with them as she put the twins in Katie's crib and changed the sheets on the other bed. She took a moment and put her head down on her forearms and breathed to calm herself. She knew they would be asleep as soon as they had eaten, but right now she was running on fumes and just needed a minute to breathe.

She felt two large arms come around her from behind. Olivia knew his touch and was thankful for those arms right now. She wasted no time turning around and putting hers around him and letting Fitz hold her. He kissed her temple and said, "You should have woken me, babe so I could help. I knew it was feeding time and brought their breakfast up."

"My hero." She held on a moment longer and released him. "Where's Lincoln?"

"Still asleep in our bed." Fitz answered, unfazed.

"What if he falls off the bed? He could bump his head on something and be lying on the floor unconscious. We can't leave him in our bed alone and unattended!" Her voice was rising with each word and while she hated herself for it, she couldn't help it either.

"He's fine, Liv. You know just as well as I do that that boy is just like you when it comes to sleep. As soon as we start feeding the twins they will stop crying." She worried too damn much, Fitz thought.

Olivia picked Katie up and brought her back to the rocker, chuckling when her daughter's cries instantly stopped the second the bottle was inserted into her mouth. "Greedy little girl. You're gonna fit right in with all these boys. Yes, you are. You and mommy are going to have our hands full keeping all of these Grant men in line."

"Do you hear that?" Fitz asked his son. "Watch those two. Girls may run the world, but we...we run this nursery. Besides, there is strength in numbers and there are more of us guys than those two girls." He glanced over at the two conspiring females. "It probably would be wise to keep an eye on them just the same. Your mother is a sneaky so and so."

"Fitzgerald Grant, don't be telling my baby that I am sneaky. It's rude." Olivia looked down at her daughter and whispered, "See. Just like that. I'll teach you."

"Olivia Grant, do not teach my princess your crazy ways. She is an angel and will stay that way for as long as I'm alive." Fitz looked down at his smaller son and winked at him. "Your dad has to lay down the law sometimes."

The babies were burped and back to sleep in their cribs when Olivia went into their room to put Lincoln back into his crib. Afterwards, she and Fitz headed downstairs for coffee. It was too early to start the day, but they had already learned to enjoy the quiet moments when they came, because they didn't last long and didn't come very often. Fitz and Olivia were sitting on the couch side by side sipping the piping hot brown caffeine boost when Fitz suddenly said, "Listen."

Olivia held her breath and listened. "Is somebody awake already?"

Fitz chuckled and gathered her close to his side. "Nobody is awake but you and me. Can you smell the silence right now? It smells soooo good."

"It really does. But now I've got to start a hundred loads of laundry, clean up the kitchen from dinner last night that I never got to eat while it was hot, and pick up Lincoln's toys that are scattered from here to up to his room. And then I've got to..."

"Shhhhh. Let the sweet smelling silence envelope you right now. None of that stuff is going anywhere. The silence won't last. Just enjoy it with me for a minute." Fitz knew if he was tired, his wife was beyond exhausted. He also knew that all of the things she named off had to be done, but they didn't have to be done right now.

Thirty seconds later, Olivia got up off the couch and headed towards the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" He called out.

She stopped walking and turned to face him. "To start the laundry. I can come and sit with you while it cycles. But I have a lot to do and none of it can be done while everyone is awake. It's impossible!" She turned around and continued on her mission.

Fitz was frustrated. Why couldn't that damn little woman just sit down for one minute and relax? He strode toward her. "Liv? Can you please stop walking and talk to me?"

"I can't. Talk to me while I load the washer." She flipped the lid up and noticed that the machine was still full of wet clothes from the day before. That was all it took. She slammed the lid down and began to cry.

"Hey. Come here." Fitz gathered her in his arms and held her while she sobbed. He wasn't entirely sure why she was crying this time, but he knew better than to assume anything. When she became silent, he pulled away from her and put a finger under her chin, directing her face up to his. "What's the matter?"

She didn't think he would understand, but he had asked. "There's so much to do. Every single day! It never stops or eases. Between the house, the kids, and running on four hours of interrupted sleep for the past two weeks it's a little overwhelming. There's not enough time in the day or enough energy to do everything that needs to be done. I'm losing it!"

"That's why you need to stop when there's silence and just relax."

She pushed away from him. "I can't relax, Fitz! Whether I relax or not in the quiet times, those things still have to be done, and I can't do any of them when the kids are awake. It's impossible! I'm trying to learn how to manage my time the best that I can. It's just not going as smoothly as when we had Lincoln."

"We knew it was going to be hard with twins, Liv." Fitz felt stupid for stating the obvious, but didn't really know what else to say.

"Hard I can deal with. Hard I practically thrive in. But this! This is beyond hard. It's..." She waved her arms wildly around in front of herself. "I'm too tired to articulate exactly what this is! We need to do better!" She pulled something from the washer and smelled it. It didn't smell sour, so she opened the dryer and started throwing clothes into it.

"I think we are doing pretty damned good. There are three of them and two of us. We can only do so much." He knew that she was lashing out and just needed some sleep. "Why don't you let me do this and you go upstairs and take a nap?"

She stopped throwing clothes into the dryer and chuckled dryly. "A nap? You think a nap is the cure for this? Really, Fitz?"

He held her chin in his left hand. "You are exhausted! You think you have to do everything, just like you did when Lincoln was born. But you can't do that because now there are three of them. You need to go to bed and shut your eyes. I can handle the kids for a few hours while you..."

"And then what? Huh? After I'm magically cured from being bitchy because I took a nap, what about later? What about tomorrow? Or the day after that? I can't nap all the time, Fitz! And I can't let this stuff around the house go. I have to get into a routine that I can handle. You won't be able to stay away from work until the twins are toddlers and a little more manageable. I've got to figure this out."

"You don't have to figure it out alone!" He shouted. "We're doing this together, just like everything else. Don't act like you're a single mother who has to cook, clean, work, and raise the kids by herself. I'm here. Let me help! You want me to cook dinner, I will. You want me to fold laundry, I will. But I'm not a mind reader, Liv!"

"You don't have to be a mind reader! Just look around and see what needs to be done! Pick a room and get started!" She shouted back.

Fitz took a deep breath and calmly said, "I'm not leaving. I'm going outside the front door to breathe for a second."

Someone upstairs began to cry.

"Fucking hell!" He shouted.

Olivia's eyes popped open and she bolted upright in bed, gasping for air. The small lamp was turned on and Fitz was sitting up beside her in an instant. His voice was full of concern. "Liv? What's the matter? Are you okay? Is it the babies?"

At the mention of the babies, she felt one of her tiny unborn twins kick her in the ribs. Her hand automatically reached down and rubbed her large stomach. She was still pregnant. It had all been a dream. She wanted to cry. She just wasn't sure if it was out of relief that they were still on the inside or because she was worried that her life would be like her dream? "I'm okay. I...I had a terrible dream though. It felt so real."

Fitz scooted behind her, so she could lean back onto his chest. He kissed her head and started rubbing her shoulders. "What was it about?"

She sighed. "The twins were here."

He kept rubbing her shoulders and listened.

"It was insanity! The babies wouldn't sleep. The house was a mess. I was exhausted all the time. The amount of laundry was unreal. You and I were fighting about the dumbest things."

She started weeping and Fitz's heart broke just listening to her. He pulled her onto his lap and held her. When her arms went around his neck, Fitz started rocking them back and forth. "I imagine life with twins is going to be interesting, but we're Grants, and Grants are tough. But more importantly, we are a team. And a damned good one. Besides, we have an amazing support system of family and friends who will help us with them whenever we need them."

"That's it!" Olivia scooted out of his arms and slowly started to get off the bed. Moving around was a little more difficult for her these days. She wondered how much slower her pace would get over the next two months? Not wanting to wallow in that thought right now, she sat on the edge of the bed and tried, unsuccessfully, to stand. Fitz helped her up and asked, "Where are you going? It's two in the morning."

She pointed a swollen finger at him. "Don't say that. That's what time it was when my dream started." She picked up a thin robe but threw it back down on the end of the bed when she decided she was too warm already. "I'm going to make sure that..." She gestured with her hands. "Whatever the hell I just imagined doesn't happen to us."

Fitz ran his hands through his hair. His girl needed some sleep. "Liv, it's..." He knew better than to mention the time again. "Early. Not even dawn yet. Can't it wait until morning? Come back to bed."

"You were trying to get me to sleep in my dream too and it pissed me off because I had so much to do in the house. It's quiet right now and I'm going to take advantage of that by starting on a schedule for our amazing support system for the first month after the twins are born. Besides, I'm too scared to go back to sleep and see that crazy shit all over again. No thank you!" She knew he had to go to work in a few hours and felt bad for waking him up. But she was very thankful that he was there for her in every way imaginable. She kissed him in their barely lit room. "Go back to sleep, babe. You've got to go to work soon. I promise I'm fine now. I just want to get started on this while it's in my mind."

"Are you sure? I can go in to the bakery later. There's nothing pressing in the morning that Charlotte can't handle." He wanted more sleep, but he wanted to keep an eye on his overachieving wife too. He yawned in spite of himself.

"I'm sure. Go back to sleep, Fitz. I promise to lay down with Lincoln when takes his mid-morning nap. Thank you for listening to the ramblings of a crazy pregnant woman in the middle of the night." She was so thankful to have him as her husband, partner, baby daddy, and worry wart. The fact that he was completely adorable and would forgo his own sleep just to make sure she was truly fine touched her heart.

He put his arms around her once again and rested his forehead on hers. "My crazy pregnant woman. And she'd better not stay up too late working on this schedule or I'm going to paddle her ass when I get home from work tomorrow." He yawned loudly, and Olivia laughed at him.

"Oooooh, after my nap with Lincoln tomorrow, I might just let you." She said grinning.

"I'm serious, Liv. Don't stay up too late. You need your sleep too." When she nodded he added, "Come tuck me in?"

"You're such a dufus. It's a good thing I find that attractive about you. It doesn't hurt that you're handsome either." She said following him back to the bed and watching him crawl under the blanket.

"It doesn't, does it?" He asked, giving her a wolfish grin. "I love you."

She leaned over as far as she could go and kissed his lips. "I love you more handsome man."

"You keep telling yourself that if you need to. We both know it's not possible. Good night, babe."


	34. Happy Birthday To Me

Happy Birthday To Me

I knew today was different, but I didn't know what made it different.

I woke up in the morning like I always did and yawned a few times before rolling over onto my stomach to see what kind of toy was in my bed that I could play with. There was a colorful phone that made noises and blinked. I played with it for a while and then decided I wanted to get up. I was hungry. Time to call mommy to come and get me.

I pressed the orange button and held the phone up to my ear like I had seen mommy and daddy do with their phones. "Hello? Mommy? I'm ready to get up now. I'm hungry for morning food." She never answered right away. I'd have to talk to her about that.

"Liv?" Olivia heard Fitz calling her name, but he seemed like a million miles away. At this moment she had no interest in finding him. She was sleeping, and he was annoying her with his talking. "Liv?"

She felt his hands shake her. Why was he always waking me up, she wondered? She cracked one eye open and was greeted by two bright mischievous blue ones looking down at her. "You'd better be glad I love your crazy ass! What?" I demanded.

"Your son is awake." He said grinning.

I listened to his adorable babbling. There was a 'momma' mixed in there with the unintelligible words. "He's your son too you know? And I'm the one who is eight weeks from delivering twins. Your twins! You could go and get him and bring him in here faster than I could even get up off this very comfortable bed." Olivia closed her eyes feeling victorious.

"Okay. I just thought you'd want to go with me to get him since today is his first birthday." Fitz started to get out of bed. "But I'll just go alone."

Olivia's eyes popped open and she flung the blanket off her body. "Ohmygod! My baby is a year old today!" She rolled over onto her side and started to get up. And failed. Fitz grabbed the doorknob and counted backwards from five in his head. When he got to two, he heard, "Fitzgerald Grant, don't you dare leave this room without me! Please come help me up."

Fitz grinned to himself. He might have been rusty on the count, but he knew his wife. He sweetly replied, "yes dear" and went to help her.

I try to call mommy one more time on my phone. When she doesn't answer, I throw my phone over the rail of my crib and look at it on the floor through the bars. I hear footsteps! I suddenly turn my head towards the door. I know it's them. I'm already grinning and telling them to hurry up and come pick me up!

I see my mommy first, but my daddy is right behind her. They are smiling big at me and I smile right back at them. I craned my head to the side and looked at them. They had something on their heads, but I didn't know what it was.

"I think the hats are freaking him out?" I heard mommy say.

"I bet he's just trying to figure out what they are?" Daddy said.

I let go of the rail and reached my arms up to them. They always knew what that means and pick me up fast. Instead, they both shout, "Happy birthday, Lincoln!" It made me jump a little, but they were usually crazy, so I just grin up at them, my arms still stretched out. My daddy put something in his mouth and blew it. It sounded like a duck noise. That scared me, and I started to cry.

"Awww sorry, Link. I didn't mean to scare you buddy." Daddy said.

My mommy picked me up out of the crib real fast and held me tight. She gave my daddy a mean look and said, "I told you we shouldn't have bought those! They are going in the trash the minute we get downstairs. He's getting heavy. I've got to sit down."

"Nah. He's ok." He took me out of mommy's arms and showed me the little thing that made noise. "See. It's not scary. It's just a noise maker."

"Happy birthday, baby." Mommy said. She had a hand on her big belly and one on her back. She must be eating a lot of stuff for her belly to be getting so big! She kissed my cheeks.

"Happy birthday, Link!" Daddy said. "You are officially a man today." He kissed my other cheek.

"My baby is not allowed to be a man today. He's one. Let's just hold onto that for as long as we can." Mommy said. "I'm going to get a head start on the stairs. I'll meet the two of you down there."

"Be careful." Daddy said.

Why does she have to be careful, I wondered? Mommy has walked up and down the stairs a whole bunch.

"Let's change the birthday boy's diaper." Daddy said.

He put the rail down and laid me in my crib. I kicked my feet as he unbuttoned my pajamas. It made it hard for him to do his part, and that was always fun to do for me.

Daddy looked at the door and leaned down a little closer to me. "No matter what your mother says, you are a man today. You know how she is. She's gonna call you her baby until she has white hair. But today, you are a man. You have a solid number as your age. I know it's only a one, but it's a beginning, right?"

He gives the best talks. I keep kicking my feet and watch his face get frustrated. It makes me laugh.

"Today we are going to have a party for your birthday." He puts a fresh diaper under my butt and buttons up my pjs. "But first, we need to have breakfast and go pick up your cake. What would you like for your birthday breakfast?"

He picks me up and I look at him. "Eggs" I say.

Daddy laughs. "Great. Pancakes it is!"

I don't argue with him, because I like pancakes too. He hands me the noise maker and we go downstairs to find mommy. When we got into the kitchen there is a lot of stuff that wasn't there the last time. Yellow paper is hanging from the ceiling. There are ducks everywhere! I see balloons tied to my high chair. Some are yellow and one of them has a duck on it! I'm so excited! I see little bags on the counter with stuff in them. Do you know what animal is on the outside of them?

Man, you are so smart!

The three of us had a birthday breakfast in the kitchen. Daddy made chocolate chip pancakes and they were so good! He made a smiley face on one of them with white stuff and put the whole thing on my high chair tray and let me eat it all by myself. My mommy didn't really like that, and wanted to feed it to me, but my daddy said that I'm a big boy now and that it would be fine. This big boy stuff is gonna be awesome!

After breakfast we all got dressed and went to the bakery my daddy works at to pick up the cake. I think aunt Charlotte is the boss of everyone there and my daddy has to do what she says? She is always at work and says funny things about my daddy being a slacker. I don't know what that means but it makes her and my mommy laugh. She makes the best cakes and sneaks me cupcakes or cookies when I come to visit.

There were lots of people at the bakery when we got there. They were standing in a line waiting to see Aunt Charlotte. She must be their favorite person in the whole world to wait so long. When she saw me, she smiled really big and called for someone to come up front for a minute. I watched and saw some short girl come stand beside aunt Charlotte. They talked for a minute and then aunt Charlotte came and took me out of my daddy's arms and kissed my cheek.

"Hey, birthday boy! How does it feel to be one now?" She asked me.

I stared at her. I didn't feel any different than yesterday. Was I supposed to? Maybe I was doing this birthday thing wrong?

"Does my favorite little guy want to see his birthday cake?" She asked me.

I grinned and waved my arms wildly.

"He understood that." She said. "I just finished it last night. I think it looks pretty good if I do say so myself. I hope the duck king will be impressed?"

"Thank you for making it, Charlotte." My mommy said. "I'm sure it's perfect."

"It had better be for what I'm paying you to make it." My daddy said.

"Don't make me cuss in front of your son." Aunt Charlotte said.

She took us to the back room and opened a sliding door where the air was cold inside. I saw all the yellow before I even knew what was in there. I started kicking my legs and leaned far over to get a better look at it. Aunt Charlotte put her hand on my back and pulled me back to her chest. "Buddy, don't do that. You'll fall right out of my arms and bump your cute little head. We can't have that on your birthday. Besides, I might need my ovaries one day."

What are ovaries, I wondered. Whatever it was it made my mommy and daddy laugh.

"I'll take him. You show him the cake." My daddy held me and we both leaned over to the edge of the box to see better. There was a big yellow duck in there! It was just sitting there and not moving at all. I looked around inside the box, but I didn't see a cake. I think they were all confused?

I got excited all over again and began wiggling in my daddy's arms.

"I think it's safe to say that Lincoln loves his cake, Charlotte." My mommy said. "You did a phenomenal job. It's looks just like a real duck."

I reached down to pet the duck, but my daddy quickly pulled me away from it.

"Link, you can't touch the cake. You'll mess it up." He said.

But I really want to pet the duck. And it was sitting there so still, and it was so close. I just knew I could pet it before it ran away from me. So, I leaned in again.

"I think he wants a bite of it?" Mommy said.

You can't bite ducks, mommy! She was so silly sometimes.

Aunt Charlotte smiled. "Then it's a good thing I made him his very own baby duck then huh?"

She knows how to make ducks? I turned my head and looked at her.

She looked at me and smiled.

"You made him his own cake?" Mommy asked. She sounded like she was gonna cry. Oh boy.

"Every baby needs a smash cake on their first birthday." She explained.

"I'm not a baby." I explained.

Mommy giggled. "I wonder what he just said?"

"Whatever it was, it sounded very serious." Aunt Charlotte said with a smile.

Grown-ups never listen!

Aunt Charlotte reached into the big cold thing and pulled out another box. A little one. She opened the lid and I looked down into it. Oh my goodness, it was a baby duck! It was so cute too! And sitting still just like his mommy in the other box. I leaned down to try to pet it and my finger felt smooshy.

"Lincoln Nathaniel! You're not supposed to touch the cake yet." Mommy said. "I'm so sorry, Charlotte!"

I picked up my finger and looked at it. It was yellow, but that wasn't feathers. It was sticky. Wait. Did my mommy say that was cake? This didn't make any sense to me.

"It's fine. It will just take a second to fix it." She disappeared somewhere.

A thought made me stop and look up at my daddy. What does a duck cake taste like? Would it quack at me? Would it run out of the box? Suddenly I didn't want a duck cake anymore. I buried my head into my daddy's shoulder and began to whine.

Daddy rubbed my back and turned his face to my ear. "What's the matter, buddy? Don't you like your birthday cake? It's a duck, your favorite animal. Aunt Charlotte spent a lot of time making it just for you."

I looked at my fingers again and examined them.

"Taste it, Lincoln. It's good." Mommy said.

You taste the duck! I thought.

Mommy gently took a hold of my hand and brought it to my mouth, sticking one of my yellow fingers inside. I tried to turn my head, but she was faster than me. She's always faster than me. My tongue tasted the yellow duck and I was surprised by how good it tasted. I looked at my other yellow fingers and put them into my mouth. Duck tasted good! I couldn't wait to try to taste the ducks at the park!

"I think it's safe to say that he likes it." My daddy said laughing. I tried to reach down to get more of the duck, but my daddy pulled me back close to him and said, "You can have some more at your party, son."

Well, let's go to the party! I thought.

Aunt Charlotte came back with a thingy in her hand and we watched her move it on the baby duck. When she was done it looked like I hadn't even touched the cake at all. I wondered if she could do it again, so I tried to touch it.

"Okay. I think it's time to take the cakes home and get them out of his sight for a while before he destroys them." Daddy said. "Thank you once again, Charlotte. They are perfect."

"I know." She said. She opened her arms and I lunged toward her. "I'll hold him and walk you guys out to the car." She winked at me and I knew what that meant. I laid my head on her shoulder. "You and your charm, Lincoln." She murmured.

I was in my car seat, kicking my legs, and happily chomping on a small soft cookie when I heard my daddy say, "What's he got now?"

"Beats me." Aunt Charlotte said. But she was smiling, and I think my daddy knew where it came from. He didn't say anything though. He waited until my cookie was gone before he closed my door and got into the car. He muttered something about sugar and hyped up and me not taking a nap. Who was tired? Not me!

When we got back home daddy carried me into the house and mommy brought the cakes inside. I heard her tell daddy that there was just enough time to lay me down for a nap before the party started.

I woke up still feeling a little mad that I had to take a nap in the first place. I was whiney, and I just wanted mommy to hold me. But her belly was really getting big for some reason, and she couldn't hold me for very long while she stood up. She sat down in the rocking chair in my room and held me. We rocked for a long time and she told me I was her sweet boy and that she loved me over and over. After a while, I felt less grumpy. Mommies are magical that way I guess.

My daddy came up into my room and he just watched us rocking from the doorway. He smiled at us and said, "It's party day, Link. Everybody will be here any minute. But somebody is already here to see you."

I looked at mommy and she looked at me. "You wanna go see who is here?"

Daddy didn't wait for an answer. He came in and picked me up off of mommy's lap and flew me high into the air over his head. I landed on his hip and he held his hand out to help mommy stand up. "Let's go downstairs together."

I heard her voice before I even saw her. It was Ella Bella! She was at my house and I was so excited! I wiggled to get down from daddy's arms, but he held onto me until we were standing in front of her. He put me on the floor and I crawled to the thing my mommy always puts her feet on when she's sitting in the living room. I think they call it an otter? It didn't look like an otter. I held onto it and stood up, looking at Ella.

She had on a pretty red dress and she was smiling at me. Her hair was curly and brown like my mommy's. I always want to touch it to see if it felt like mommy's. She hugged me, kissed my cheek, and said, "Happy birthday, Lincoln."

All of the grown-ups said, "Awww" at the same time.

I grinned at her and told her, "you look pretty."

Ella turned to her daddies and asked, "What did he just say?"

"He probably said he likes your dress, honey." Her daddy said.

"Do you know how to walk yet?" She asked me.

I just kept smiling at her. The truth was, I hadn't learned how to walk just yet. Everybody always held me, so I let them do all the walking. But I could stand up and hold onto something for a really long time.

"Let's play with your toys." She suggested. She sat down in front of me and I plopped down on my bottom and we began to play with the toys mommy kept in the living room.

Someone knocked on the door a short while later, but I didn't hear it because Ella and I were still playing. She was driving a car over my leg and belly and it made me laugh every time she did it. So, she kept doing it.

"Link! Look! Three ladybugs just came into the house." My daddy announced. He is holding Sophie, Megan is on his back, and Elizabeth is on his shoulders. He looks silly. "Pesky ladybugs don't belong in the house. I think I need to take them outside to the trash."

"Uncle Fitz, you always try to take us outside to the trash." Megan laughs and grips his neck tighter.

"These ladybugs are getting heavy. I don't think I can carry them around anymore. I think...I think I'm falling."

He had better not drop my ladybugs! I watched my daddy as he starts to drop to the floor a little bit at a time. The girls are laughing and that's when I knew he was just playing. When he is all the way on the floor, I crawl over to him. The girls are laying on him and he is laughing and tickling them. He looks at me and says, "Link! Help me, son! The ladybugs are everywhere!"

Listening to the girls laugh makes me laugh. My daddy is bigger than all of us. Besides, the girls are my friends. I help them attack my daddy. I hear him mumble, "traitor" but I don't know what that means. Pretty soon Ella joins in and all of us are climbing all over my daddy. "not you too, Ella Bella?"

My daddy holds me as the girl's hands and feet crawl all over him. All of us are laughing and having a good time. My daddy stands up and said, "The boys win!"

I start to whine and try to get back onto the floor. I don't want to win. I want to play with the girls.

"Can't you see that boy wants to be on the floor with the girls?" Pops asks from the doorway. He is holding a big box and my Nana is right behind him holding more.

"Way to leave the door open for just anyone to wander in, Thad!" My daddy says.

"Hold the door open please!" Someone else says.

I know that voice! It's my other most favoritest grandfather! I see him come in the house with my Mimi! Almost everybody I ever love the most is here!

"Sorry, Nathaniel. That comment wasn't aimed at you." My daddy shakes my grandfather's hand and kisses my Mimi's cheek. I'm gonna have to talk to her about that. Mimi says all of her kisses are for me!

"No problem." My grandad said. "Where is the birthday boy?"

"On the floor with the short people."

Somebody picks me up. When I turn my head, I notice that it's aunt Abby. She must have been eating a lot lately too because her belly is bigger than it was before. Maybe her and Mommy have been eating the same thing? "Hey, Munchkin. Happy birthday."

I grab her cheeks and pull her face towards me for a kiss.

"Do I get a kiss too, Lincoln?" A voice asks from behind me.

I turn around and see it's that crazy lady. I look back at aunt Abby and she is shaking her head no at me and smiling. She hugs me close. "Aunt Yvonne just wants to hog you all to herself. But we're not gonna let that happen, are we?"

"Lincoln?" The crazy lady sings. I take my head off of aunt Abby's shoulder and look at her. She's holding a long sparkly thing. It's pretty and I want it! I lean towards her and she holds me in her arms.

"Cheater." Aunt Abby says. "Using a necklace to get his attention."

"Whatever works." She says. The two of us go sit down in a chair in the living room and she watches me as I look at the sparkly thing.

"He seems to like that." I look up and see my Nana sitting near us. And my Mimi is sitting beside her. I grin at both of them and suddenly am ready to go be loved on by them. I lean to my Nana and she plops me on her lap.

"You didn't tell Miss Yvonne bye, Lincoln." Mimi says.

"Grandmothers always trump a necklace." The crazy lady says. "We had a nice little visit though."

Nana hugs me tight. "I swear, you have grown an inch since last Thursday." She says.

"You'll be walking soon." Mimi says. "And then you'll be into everything. Won't you, Lincoln?"

Yup

"You're going to be harder to keep up with then huh?"

Uh huh

"You know what that means? That means we can take you to the park in the spring and let you run around. Get rid of some of that energy so we can all take a nap together in the afternoons." Nana and Mimi are laughing, and I laugh too, even though I don't know why we are laughing.

Mimi sets me on her lap and kisses me. "Our best boy is growing up on us."

"He certainly is."

"Okay," Mommy says. "Who wants cake?"

"We'll help you with that." Mimi and Nana say. They put me on the floor and all of the girls stand up and run toward the kitchen.

Elizabeth comes back to where I am and asks, "Are you coming, Link?"

She's so sweet. I grin at her from the floor before I stand up and hold onto the otter.

Elizabeth holds my hand and says, "Come on, Link. Let's go get some cake." I wait for her to pick me up, but she doesn't even try to. She takes a step toward the kitchen, still holding my hand, and I take a step beside her. "That's a good job! Look everybody! Lincoln is walking!"

Everyone in the kitchen stops moving at looks at us. I grin at them. Elizabeth claps her hands and for a moment, I am standing all by myself. Not holding onto anything. I feel so...big.

My daddy comes and gets on the floor a few feet in front of me. He's grinning and holding his arms out towards me. "Come on, buddy. Walk to daddy." Mommy comes to stand behind him, and she's smiling too.

My arms are in the air beside me. Elizabeth is standing real close; watching me carefully. Nobody is talking or making any noise at all. It's so quiet. I look at my daddy. I think I can make it to him. I pick up my one foot and move it in front of me. When it touches the floor, I hear my mommy say, "Ohmygod!" She's so cute.

I pick up the other one and move it front of me. Walking is so easy! When I move my first foot again, I lose my balance and fall on my butt. Maybe it's a little harder than I thought. But I did it a little bit! I smile proudly.

My daddy scoops me up and everybody cheers. "Way to go, Link! You walked!"

My mommy is crying and kisses my cheeks. "I'm so proud of you baby" she says.

Yup, daddy was right. She's gonna call me her baby forever!

Daddy winks at me and whispers, "You're a man for sure now, Link. Walking is big boy stuff." He holds up his hand and I hit it with mine.

When I'm in my high chair I try to get the balloons, but they are really hard to catch. Daddy walks away and comes back with the big yellow duck we saw with aunt Charlotte. There's something on top of it that looks really pretty. It's kind of orange and yellow and I don't know what it is, but I really want to touch it. I reach my hand out to do that, but my daddy is holding it too far away from me.

Everybody starts singing loud and I look around at all the faces. I see mommy, daddy, Grandad, Mimi, Pops, Nana, all of the ladybugs, Ella Bella. I stopped and looked at her for a minute, wondering why she wasn't a ladybug too? Hmmm. Ella's daddies are looking at me with big grins so I grin back at them. I also see aunt Abby and uncle Stephen. When did they get here? That crazy lady that works with mommy is here too. Mommy gets on one side of me and daddy gets on the other side. I look at both of them and wonder what they are about to do?

"Let's blow out the candle, Lincoln." Mommy says.

What's a candle?

I look at the duck and mommy and daddy lean in and make the orange and yellow thing go away. How'd they do that? They both kiss my cheeks at the same time and someone takes our picture. Everyone claps and even though I don't know what they are clapping for, I join them and cheer.

Mommy takes the cake away and daddy brings me the little duck I tried to pet. He sets it on my high chair tray and looks at me. I look up at him, knowing he doesn't want me to touch it. He takes my hand and touches my finger to it. "It's ok, Link. This one is all yours and you can eat it now."

I touch it gently and look at my finger. It's yellow and smooshy again. I bring it to my mouth and taste it. My little duck tastes sooooo good! This time I reach down and grabbed a handful of him. My hand is covered with yellow and brown. I stuff it into my mouth and it is yummy. Since nobody was trying to stop me from eating it, I ate some more. People around me were laughing but I didn't care. I was gonna eat the duck until someone noticed what I was doing and took it away from me.

"Ohmygod! Look at my baby!" Mommy said.

There's that word again. I looked up at her. I didn't do anything.

My daddy laughed. "Link. Buddy. You're covered in cake and frosting!"

I looked down. No, I'm not. I might have dropped some onto my belly, but it's not that bad.

"Take a picture of him, Fitz." Mommy said.

Daddy took a picture and then wiped off my hands. "I'm gonna go get him cleaned up and then he can open his presents." He kisses my mommy and picks me up. But he holds me out so I can't touch him.

Upstairs in the bathroom, daddy runs some water in the tub. I get excited because I love taking a bath. "You are a mess, buddy." Daddy holds me up in front of the mirror and I see myself. Man was I dirty! I have yellow and brown all over my face, in my hair, on my belly, even on my arms and legs. It was gonna take forever to get all of this off me! I grinned at myself. "You're such a ham, Link."

He takes off all my clothes and sets me in the water. I splash excitedly and get my daddy wet. It makes me laugh to see him jump. He washes me all over, and even washes my hair. The next thing I know he is pulling the thing out and the dirty water is running down the hole. He didn't even give me time to play! I started to whine.

"Come on, birthday boy. I know how much you love your baths, but you have new toys to open!" He tells me.

New toys? Why didn't he say so sooner?

Daddy gets me dressed and takes me back downstairs. Grandad holds his arms open and I go to him. "Happy birthday little man! Are you ready to open some presents now?"

He sets me on the floor and all of the girls come to sit around me. Mommy puts something in front of me. It's got ducks all over it and I giggle at it. Elizabeth comes to sit beside me and says, "You gotta open it to see what's inside." She pulls at the ducks and they make a ripping noise and there's a big piece of paper hanging off.

Something is inside? I grab onto the paper and pull it. Ohhh it's paper! Ducks make paper! I get a piece of it off and look at it for a minute before sticking it into my mouth. A big hand takes it away from me and I don't have to look to know that it was my mommy.

Elizabeth giggles and says, "You don't eat the paper. You pull it off the box."

She is helping me get all of the duck paper off and I see that there is a big red truck under it. That was a good trick! I look under the paper to see if there is anything else in there, but there's not.

"The truck is from us girls." Elizabeth explains. "It makes noises. See." She pushes a button and I can hear the truck start up just like my daddy's car. People keep giving me stuff to open but I like to rip the paper and play with it.

My Pops and Nana give me a really big thing. After me and the girls take the paper off, my daddy takes it out of the box and says something about having to put it together. Him and uncle Thad start working on it. Daddy said I'm a man now, and even though I don't know what that means, I crawl over to help them. I hold the paper and see if it tastes good. It doesn't.

"Thad! He's eating the directions!" Daddy says.

"Link, don't eat that buddy." Uncle Thad says. He takes the paper out of my hands, but I wasn't done helping. So I start to cry. He hands the paper back to me and I stop crying real fast and smile at him. He says to my daddy, "You tell him he can't have it. Besides, we don't need the directions. We're men!"

"He needs something to balance out all of that sugar. Paper should do it. Besides, we're done." Daddy says. He picks me up, and I notice that he took the paper out of my hand again. He thinks he's sneaky, but I know. Just when I am about to cry again and get my paper back, he says, "Look, Link! You have a swing!"

What's a swing? He puts me in a chair and pushes me a little bit. My legs are hanging and WOW! If this is a swing, I love it a lot! I am laughing and moving. My belly feels funny. Like it does when I'm riding in the car.

"I think he likes it!" Daddy says.

Of course I do! Keep pushing me!

The girls come to watch but don't get too close. I am smiling and clapping and waving to them. And then after a little while, my eyes get really tired. Not tired enough to sleep, but tired. I close them for a minute and then open them up again when I hear voices. Nobody is watching me anymore, but that's okay because this is the best first birthday in my whole life! Daddy keeps pushing my back and I gotta close my eyes for just a minute. I won't miss much.

When I open my eyes, everyone is gone and I'm in my bed again. I think I missed something?


	35. Wrap It Up

_For the guest reviewer who requested Christmas and the Olitz anniversary to be covered next. Thank you for the prompt._

Wrap It Up

Christmas was tomorrow. There was so much to be done, and Olivia had no energy to do any of it.

The twins weighed down her little frame and Olivia couldn't imagine six more weeks of pregnancy. She wanted them to be healthy and safe, but she was ready for them to be here already. Her body was ginormous and slow and uncomfortable. And she was exhausted all the time.

She couldn't sleep for them moving around inside of her all the time like a couple of kickboxers in the ring. She missed being able to sleep on top of her husband's chest and feeling his arms around her. Fitz wasn't getting much more sleep than she was these days either because he had to help her out of their bed every few hours, so she could pee at all hours of the night. He was a real trooper about it though and never complained. Olivia was thankful for him.

The miracle that she was carrying twins wasn't lost on Olivia. Even twins who would most likely grow up to act and look exactly like their father. Three babies were a good sized family and Olivia was glad that even though twins meant twice the work, she was grateful that she wouldn't have to be pregnant again. She shuddered at the thought of carrying another set of twins.

She rubbed her swollen belly from the comfort of the sofa while Lincoln played on the floor with his recent birthday gifts. He had gotten a little better at walking over the past few weeks and it was cute to watch him stagger around the house like a drunk old man every time he attempted it. He was saying a few more words too. Olivia was enjoying watching him gain a little more independence as well as becoming more vocal.

"Whatcha sitting over here thinking about?"

Fitz sat on the end of the sofa, put her feet in his lap, and began to massage them. A deliriously happy moan escaped her lips before she could control it. She closed her eyes and laid her head down on the pillow behind her. "Ohmygod! Marry me!" When his hands stopped moving, Olivia's eyes popped open and she sent him an impatient look.

He held up his left hand and said, "Can't. I'm taken."

Olivia grinned at him. "But are you happy?"

"Very happy. My wife is my best friend. She's intelligent, has a big heart, and is smokin' hot. She's a triple threat." He continued his work with one eye on their son and wondered where this conversation was headed.

"And yet here you are, rubbing my feet. Why is that?" He looked extra cute today, Olivia decided. He needed a haircut, but he was still cute.

"Am I bothering you? I'm sorry. I'll just stop." He dropped her feet and started to stand.

Olivia scrambled to sit up as fast as she could in her condition and pointed to the place her husband had just vacated. "Sit your sexy ass down right now, Mister."

Not only did Fitz sit back down, he pulled his wife into his lap. He nuzzled into her neck and held her. "You're cute when you're ordering me around, wife."

She laid her head on his shoulder and asked, "Yea? How cute?"

He grinned into her neck. "Cute enough for me to flirt with you in front of our one year old."

Olivia giggled. "We're so domesticated."

"Bet your perfect pregnant ass." He said and slid a hand down to rub it.

She pecked his lips. "Thank you for always making the effort to make me feel...perfect."

"You are perfect, Liv. Perfect for me, Link, and" he rubbed her belly and smiled. "these two babies. Right, Link?"

Lincoln never turned around to face them but babbled something to let them know his answer.

"See! That's a glowing endorsement from our son!" Fitz chuckled.

Olivia smiled at him and held his cheeks. "What would I do without you? Let's go back to the feet for just a little longer though please."

"Yea, ma'am." He replied. Once she was comfortable on her back, Fitz continued rubbing her swollen feet until he thought she had fallen asleep. "You know we really need to get up and finish the Christmas stuff, right?"

"Nooooooo." She whined. "The tree is up! That counts for something doesn't it?"

Fitz chuckled and stood up. "It does, but we still have wrapping to do for Santa, make the cookies for his plate tonight..."

"You could go down to the bakery and get them from the display case."

"That's cheating, Liv."

"No, it's not! You went to work this morning and probably made them yourself? It makes perfect sense if you think about it." She was grasping at straws and they both knew it.

"What about all the other stuff that has to be done?" Fitz asked. He knew she was tired, but it had to be done.

"If you take Lincoln to the bakery with you, I'll wrap the gifts." She spread her hands, palms up, and grinned at him, hoping he would accept those terms. He hated to wrap.

Fitz eyed his wife. She was way too eager to get rid of him and Link. She was up to something, he was convinced. But if it got him out of wrapping gifts, he didn't care. "All the gifts?"

"Every last one of them!" She said excitedly. He was buying it!

"How are you going to get them down from the closet?" She couldn't reach the top.

Olivia thought about it for a second and then said, "I'll call Abby to come get them down."

And there it was. Abby was about to be used. She would probably even end up wrapping most of it. He helped his wife up off the couch and stood in front of her. "Fine. But I want dinner on the table by the time we get home."

Olivia gave him a look. "Are you serious right now?"

"Nah. I just always wanted to say that." He said chuckling.

"Maybe it'll work with your next wife?" She said patting his cheek with a big grin. "But as long as you are married to me, don't say that shit again."

"Maybe we can work some of that hostility out of Santa's little helper after Lincoln goes to bed later? You seem to have a lot of it" He suggested in a lust filled voice.

"I'm sure we can." When Fitz turned to go pick up Lincoln, Olivia patted his ass and added, "While you're there, Santa's little helper would really love a snickerdoodle cupcake or three."

"I've got a snickerdoodle for ya, babe."

"Go away."

Once the men were gone, Olivia called across the street to sweet talk her best friend into helping her wrap the small mountain of toys that Lincoln didn't even need. She answered on the third ring. "Abby. How would you like to come over here for some girl time?"

"Are we talking about watching a sappy movie on tv or rearranging the house?"

"Neither. I told Fitz I would wrap all the presents we bought for Lincoln if he took him to the bakery to get Santa's cookies."

"That's cheating! How hard is it to just buy a package..."

Olivia stopped listening. Of course, she would take Fitz's side! Traitor. She rolled her eyes and focused on the conversation. She interrupted her ranting friend. "Look, all I need for you to do is to get the bags down from the closet. Then you can go back home to whatever you were doing before I called."

"I was washing the bedding for the crib and setting stuff up in the nursery. I could use a little break though so you're lucky. I guess I can come over and get that crap down for you. But I want one of those Hallmark channel Christmas movies on while you wrap." She had her right where she wanted her.

Olivia pretended to think about it. "I suppose we can do that. I'll make us some cocoa..."

"With lots of marshmallows!" The redhead demanded.

"...with lots of marshmallows, while I wait for you. See you in a few minutes." She had her right where she wanted her.

Abby ended the call with Olivia and sent Fitz a text.  
 _You were right. She's gonna make me wrap. Bring me back a few cupcakes_

Abby arrived at Olivia's and walked inside without an invitation. Olivia was pouring the cocoa into mugs. "Perfect timing." Olivia said with a smile.

"I'll say." Abby agreed, stomping her feet. She took off her coat and scarf and put them on the coat rack near the door before grabbing a mug from the counter and making her way into the living room. The red head eased down into one of the chairs and took a sip. "It's freezing out there!"

Olivia carefully took a seat near her friend and took a sip of her own drink. She looked out the window and said, "Maybe I shouldn't have had Fitz take Lincoln with him?"

"Shortstuff will be fine. Once he gets inside the bakery, Charlotte will ply him with cookies."

"A hyper baby is better than a sick one. How's the nursery coming along?"

"So much pink. And I don't even like pink, but Stephen insisted." Abby absentmindedly rubbed her belly. "This girl is gonna be rotten. I can already tell."

Olivia chuckled. "What are we gonna do with Fitz and Stephen once their daughters get here?"

"Use it to our advantage."

"Abby!" Olivia said on a laugh.

"What? Tell me you haven't thought of the same thing."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yea, okay. I'll remind you of that when you have Fitz buying you and Katie matching outfits that cost an arm and a leg."

"Shut up." She thought about it for a second. "That's a really good idea though."

"Right!" Abby took another sip of her cocoa. "Where's all the toys?"

Olivia groaned. "Upstairs in our closet."

"Why did you hide them? Lincoln is only a year old. He's not walking around snooping into stuff yet."

Olivia thought about it and began to laugh. "That's a good question. I don't know. Let's get going though. I promised Fitz I'd have it done by the time they got back."

One of the cheesiest movies Olivia had ever seen was playing on the large television screen as she and Abby wrapped Lincoln's gifts. Occasionally they would stop, watch for a few minutes, and get teary eyed at the sappy storyline, before going back to the task at hand. Olivia was mortified that she had gotten sucked into it and was rooting for the two lead characters to fall in love.

Everything was finally wrapped and the two of them decided to put the gifts into the hall closet during a commercial break to spare themselves the stairs as well as to not miss the end of the movie. There was fifteen minutes left and neither one of them wanted to miss it. Just as they had gotten settled into their seats, with a fresh mug of cocoa in their hands, Fitz walked into the house with a sleeping Lincoln in his arms. He dropped two white bags on the table before walking upstairs and returning a few moments later minus the boy. "What's going on here?"

"SHHHHH!" Both women hissed without looking at him.

His confused gaze went from one woman to the other. But they weren't looking at him. They were staring intently at the television, with...were those tears in their eyes? What the hell? He went to the table and picked up the white bag he knew would get their attention. "Anybody want a cupcake?"

Neither woman moved or even acknowledged his existence. Fitz flicked his confused gaze to the television to try to understand what had their complete attention. Five minutes later, he found himself sitting alone on the sofa, eating one of the girls' cupcakes, and trying to put the pieces together of the storyline he was watching. Something bad must have happened and now the misunderstanding was coming to light. He wished he had seen the entire thing.

Wait! What? Did that thought really just go through my mind, Fitz wondered to himself with wide eyes? He shook his head a few times, popped the rest of the cupcake into his mouth, and went into the kitchen to make himself some coffee. He had to get out of the land of highly charged estrogen.

When the movie ended, Abby and Olivia brought their mugs into the kitchen. They looked like two penguins waddling, but he would never say that out loud. He did grin at the similarity though. "Good movie?"

"No! It was stupid." Olivia whined as she went into his arms.

"Then why are you crying?" Fitz asked on a chuckle.

"Because they didn't end up together. Abby, you are not allowed to come over here at Christmas time ever again."

"Shut up. You loved it. Besides, we got the wrapping done. Annnnnnd, there's a marathon on that channel the week of Valentine's. I'll bring my nameless baby over here and we'll watch the movies between feedings and naps. Best way to spend our maternity leave if you ask me." She pointed at Fitz. "You. Where's my cupcakes?"

Fitz released his hold on his wife and held one of the white bags just out of the redhead's reach. "Thank you for helping my wife wrap the presents. I'm with Liv though, you can't come over here and turn that shit on my television ever again." He kissed her cheek and gave her the bag.

"A, it's our television. And B, it's a date!" The two women side hugged since their bellies were in the way.

"Well, I've got to get back and finish the nursery. Your baby shower is coming up after New Year's, so hurry up and register for some cute stuff I can buy."

"I don't really need a baby shower. We pretty much have..."

"You don't get it. It's not for you. It's for the twins. Stop being a bitch and let everyone buy them some stuff. Buying baby stuff makes everyone happy. You're being a buzzkill, Liv!"

"Fine!" Olivia said rolling her eyes. "Wait until you see all the crap I've bought for your unnamed baby."

"You better have loaded her up with good stuff! I expect nothing less from you. Speaking of names, have you come up with complete full names for the twins yet? You're due in like five minutes."

"Why are we friends again?" Olivia asked as she rolled her eyes. "For your information we have. Katherine Emmaline Delilah Grant and Carter Stephen Grant."

Abby looked at her best friend and made a face. "No."

"What...the hell do you mean? No?" Olivia fired back.

"I mean, Lincoln has two middle names. Katie has two middle names. I'm not going to let you rob my nephew of two middle names. It's a tradition! Think of another middle name for the little guy! It's only fair, Liv!"

"THANK YOU!" Fitz exclaimed. "I tried telling her that but..." Olivia shot him an anger filled look. "But we are still discussing it" he added in a quieter voice.

"You pick that boy another middle name and do it soon! He's going to feel left out if he is the only child with one middle name. And then what are you going to do when he asks you about it one day?" Abby pointed her finger at her best friend. "I'll jump into the conversation and tell him that you were too damned lazy to add one simple name to his."

"Okay, it's time for you to go home now. I'll think about it! Pregnancy makes you bitchy!"

"Right back at ya! Make it snappy with that name! As Yvonne says, time's a wastin'!" Fitz bit down hard on his inner cheek to keep from laughing. He helped Abby into her coat and told his wife he was going to walk her home.

Olivia heard the two of them laughing the second the front door closed. She had no sooner sat down to think of another middle name for Carter, when Lincoln's cries could be heard through the baby monitor. Olivia sighed heavily and got herself back up and headed to the nursery.

The next morning, the Grant home was blissfully quiet until Lincoln woke up at nine. He was babbling happily, unaware that Santa had come to leave him presents and Olivia took this time to soak up the moment. She had a feeling she would be doing a lot of that today. It would be their last Christmas as the three Grants. Next year there would be two more cute little Grant children in the house. Two ten month olds crawling all over the place, getting into everything, and not the least bit excited about opening gifts, but much happier to play with the empty boxes instead. She wondered if she could get away with wrapping empty boxes and saving some money? She giggled at the thought but knew Fitz would never agree to it.

She felt his large left arm come around her giant belly from behind as he nuzzled her neck. "What's so funny this morning, Mrs. Grant?"

"Nothing really. I was just thinking that this will be our last Christmas as just the three of us. It's kind of weird when I think about it."

"It's weird when I think about how amazing my sperm are to have knocked you up with twins." He chuckled. They lay in silence for a few moments before he asked, "What do you think he is talking about in there?"

Olivia grinned. "He's saying how he hopes mommy gets a great gift from Santa Claus."

"I guess mommy has to get out of bed to find out what the fat man brought her." He kissed her neck and Olivia rolled over onto her back. "Merry Christmas, Liv. I love you."

"Merry Christmas. I love you more."

"No, you don't. You should know by now that it's not possible." He got off their bed and went to her side to help her up. "Let's go enjoy our last Christmas with our only child."

The two of them watched Lincoln open his gifts from Santa and he seemed to be a little more into the spirit of it. It probably didn't hurt that he had just done this on his birthday. After opening the fourth one, however, all hope was lost because he was completely fascinated with playing with the paper. He giggled when he ripped the paper and before long both of his parents were giggling along with him.

"Thank you for my necklace. I really love it." Olivia was leaning back on his chest, watching Lincoln continue to shred Christmas paper like an excited puppy. Fitz had just put the necklace on her and she was holding the diamond between her thumb and index finger moving it back and forth on the thin gold chain.

"You're welcome. But that's not your big present." He said as he rubbed her belly.

Olivia chuckled. "You currently have your hands on my big present." He pressed his smiling lips to her cheek. "Okay, what is my big present?"

"It's actually a combination Christmas and anniversary gift." He handed her an envelope and watched her open it from over her shoulder.

"A handwritten coupon for plane tickets? What is this?"

Fitz said nothing and continued watching until she read the destination. The moment her eyes landed on it was painfully obvious by the loud squeal she released.

"Tahiti?!" She turned around in his arms and her face went from smiling to concern. "Wait. We can't go to Tahiti."

"Why can't we? We're grown ass adults who can do whatever we want to."

"Fitz, we're about to have twins!" She emphasized the last word, in case he had somehow forgotten that fact. "And I'm not taking three kids, two of them newborns, out of the country."

"That wasn't the plan, Liv. Nowhere near what the plan was, in fact."

She wrinkled her nose. "Then maybe you'd better explain it to me."

"After the twins are a little older, I thought it would be nice for you and I to get away. Just the two of us. I really wanted to go ahead and buy the airline tickets to Tahiti, but I knew you would want time to bond with them and get the twins and Lincoln into a routine. And I didn't want you to feel pressured to leave the kids by a specific day. Besides, changing the departure date on an international flight costs an arm and a leg. So, I made this stupid, yet thoughtful handwritten coupon for you to hold onto until you are ready to leave our three children in the hands of our very capable family and friends." It was a great plan, Fitz thought.

Olivia was still staring at him. "It's gonna be a while before I'm ready to leave our kids to go out of the country. You get that, right?"

"Of course I do. I'm not looking to escape town the minute they are born." He chuckled. "I want time with them too to figure out their little personalities and bond with them. This isn't something we are going to do until we are completely at ease with it. I figure when the twins are four or five months old that's a good time to have this discussion again? And if you hate the idea, I haven't spent any money on it, so you wouldn't have any reason to feel bad about saying no. So, what do you think?"

"Ohmygod! We are going to Tahiti!" She threw her arms around his neck and peppered his face with happy kisses. "So, what are we going to do on our actual anniversary? Something small at home would be nice."

"It's like you're reading my mind, woman. But it's not going to be something small." He replied with a wolfish grin. "I know it's only a week away, but I expect by then you are going to be on complete bed rest. Don't you have a doctor's appointment in a few days?"

"Yea. But please don't even entertain the thought of me being on bed rest for the duration of this pregnancy. The thought of that is so depressing." She turned to face him and pouted.

"Bed rest or no bed rest, my plan is perfect. But IF you are put on bed rest," Olivia picked up her head and looked at him with raised eyebrows. "then my plan is to send Lincoln to the grandparents for the night and I'll spend the day in bed with you."

"What's so big about that?" When he shot her a look she added, "I mean, that sounds great, don't get me wrong. I love the thought of cuddling with you in bed all day, but that's not a big plan." He gave her another look and Olivia knew exactly what was on his mind. "That's not the entire plan is it?"

He shook his head back and forth, and the grin returned. "The plan is very small. The orgasms I plan on giving you will be very big."

Olivia pursed her lips until they broke out into a huge grin. "Bed rest might not be such a bad thing after all."

Fitz kissed her grinning lips. "That's my girl."

Lincoln noticed that his parents had that look on their faces again. Time to break that up! Next thing you know, they'll be talking about putting me to bed early!Besides, they weren't paying any attention to me at the moment and I was being extra cute on purpose. PARENTS! I walked over to where they were, held my arms out, and said, "Dada." He was easier to trick.

Fitz lifted him up to sit with them. "Merry Christmas, Link."

Olivia kissed his cheek. "Merry Christmas, baby."

That was more like it, Lincoln thought!


	36. Now We wait

Now We Wait

Olivia is sitting in the waiting room at the obstetrician's office for yet another appointment. She feels like she's here all the time these days and she's honestly over it. Getting one of their mothers to come and watch Lincoln, moving at a turtle's pace, driving to the doctor - only to be told everything looks great - driving back home, and praying to take a nap with her son when she gets there is a lot. She wishes she could phone it in sometimes.

She wants nothing but the best for both of the babies. To be healthy and born as close to their due date as possible. She can't wait to meet them and see their cute little faces. To hold them and sing to them too. Olivia knows that life with them on the outside of her is going to be difficult, but it's difficult with them on the inside of her too. She's trying her best to be patient, but the closer she gets to the end of this pregnancy, the more her patience wanes.

"Olivia Grant?"

I look up and smile at the nurse with the kind eyes who just called my name. She is my hero at the moment for sparing me any more time in the uncomfortable waiting room chair. She will no longer by my hero five minutes from now though. Fitz is on his feet in an instant and puts a hand around me to help me stand. He is my hero all the time and that will never change.

"How are you feeling today?" The nurse asks me as the three of us walk down a narrow hall. It's the same yadda yadda yadda they politely ask with their pretty smiles plastered on their faces. They don't really care. They are just making conversation until we reach the next room to wait in. At least this one has a more comfortable place to sit down in it.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Maybe Abby is right? Maybe pregnancy is making me bitchy? She's looking at me expectantly and I immediately feel like a jerk for assuming she doesn't care. I smile at her and say, "Tired, but fine."

"That's to be expected being this far along in your pregnancy. And with twins no less. How exciting!"

She smiles at me and I just want to smack her. No shit. Apparently, my face is displaying exactly what is on my mind and she adds, "You look great. Your weight is right on target and your blood pressure is fine."

Okay, that was nice of her. She didn't say I look like a blimp, which is what I feel like.

She helps me up onto the table and chirps, "You're in the home stretch now, mom." She pats my leg, her smile still in place.

Annnnd I hate her again. I'm not your mom, bitch. Take your sing song voice right up out of this room! And don't touch me again. Instead, I smile and say, "yea." When she leaves I roll my eyes dramatically.

"Well, that was interesting." Fitz comments mildly.

Fuck. If Fitz noticed my bitchiness then the nurse surely did. I look up at his beautiful blue eyes and immediately start to cry. "What the hell is wrong with me?" I blubber into my hands.

Once again, he is on his feet and at my side. He puts his arms around me and is shushing me as I turn my face into his neck and feel like a total shit. "Nothing is wrong with you, babe. You're exhausted. And this pregnancy with the twins is a lot for your little body."

"B...But that's...no excuse for the way I just" hiccup "acted." He's rubbing my back and holding me close and I start to feel somewhat human again.

"Hey! It's okay. I'm sure you're not the only pregnant woman who hasn't felt her best around here? Nurses have tough skin. But if you want to, when we leave you can find her and apologize?"

I nod into his neck as the tears run down my cheeks. "I'm sorry. I'll try to behave for the rest of the day."

He gently pulls away, puts his finger under my chin to lift my gaze to his, and grins. "I didn't say I wanted that." He pecks my lips and brushes my tears with the pads of his thumbs. "You're perfect just the way you are, Liv."

That brings on new tears. I bury my head into his neck again and ask, "Why do you love me?"

Fitz chuckles and lets me cry for a minute before pulling me back from him again. He plays with a strand of my hair, gives me his best smile, and says, "Because loving you is what I'm best at. I don't know how to not love you. You're kinda stuck with me."

That just makes me cry harder. He's a walking chick flick saying all the right things right now. A knock is heard at the door and I quickly pull away from Fitz and wipe my eyes. "Come in" Fitz calls out and hands me a tissue.

The doctor looks from me to Fitz, and then back to me. "Are you alright, Mrs. Grant?"

I smile weakly at him. "I'm fine. Just a hormonally charged day apparently. I'm so sorry."

He waves his hand absently and replies, "Those days happen to the best of us."

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. "They do. I owe your nurse an apology for my rudeness earlier. Is there any way I can speak to her before we leave?"

"There is, but there's no need for that."

"But I..."

He looks up from my chart and smiles at me. "You are thirty-four weeks pregnant with twins as well as have a one year old at home. You are beyond tired, emotionally drained, and probably can't stop worrying about what life is going to be like once these babies are born. Now, am I right?"

I sigh. "Yes. Absolutely right. On all counts."

"Being a little bit rude given the way you are feeling and the things you are thinking isn't much in the grand scheme of life now is it? But the look on your face says you're going to do it anyway. That makes you a good person." He closed my file, set it on the small counter, and gives me a smile. "Now. Let's take a look at these babies."

Olivia was helped to a lying down position and she lifted her top while her maternity pants came down from over her belly. The doctor measured her stomach and then told her she could straighten her clothes and sit up. "They are measuring fine. But you are a tiny thing and admittedly already exhausted, with six weeks to go. I am going to put you on bed rest." He must have noticed my unhappy face at the thought of that. "Not twenty-four seven bed rest. Yet. These babies need a few more weeks on the inside before they are ready health-wise to make their grand entrance. You being on bed rest will help make sure you don't start having contractions too early. It will also help alleviate some of the stress on your vital organs too. It's good for your blood flow as well. I know you don't want to hear it, but you need more rest."

"How do I do that while I'm still working?" Olivia asked.

"Go on early maternity leave. I'll write you a note if you need one, but you need more rest and to stay off of your feet. They are swollen I might add, because you aren't staying off of them as much as you should."

"He's right, Liv." Fitz said.

"I know, but how can I lay in bed all day when I have a one year old son who is walking now? It's practically impossible!"

"I didn't say stay in bed all day long. I said rest. When he naps, you nap! When you feel yourself getting tired, call someone to watch your son and you go lay down. This isn't up for debate. If you don't get some more rest, you will end up in the hospital resting all the time and away from your son. The choice seems easy at this point, Mrs. Grant."

"She will be a model patient. Won't you, Liv?" I opened my mouth to speak but Fitz cut me off. "Trust me. She will. I'll make sure of it."

The two men shook hands and the obstetrician grabbed the doorknob and said, "See you in a week. I expect those feet to look a lot better. Bye now." He opened the door and walked out.

Fitz helped me up off the table and said, "We are going to make one stop on the way home for whatever treat you would like, and then you are going home and getting your little ass into bed for a few hours."

I gave him a loathing look. "You don't need to come to my next appointment."

"And miss all the updates? No thanks. I'll be here. You are going to bed when we get home, Liv. It's not up for discussion, okay?" He had that determined don't mess with me look on his face.

"Yea, yea." I was back to being bitchy, but this time I didn't care.

A few hours later, I woke up in my own bed feeling so much better. As I lay there looking up at the ceiling I listened for any sounds coming from my two favorite guys. Nothing. No running, or laughing, or chatter. It was completely quiet. I assumed Lincoln had laid down for a nap as well. I stretched lazily, and my hand connected with a head. I jerked mine to the left and saw Fitz laying there rubbing his temple. "I'm so sorry, babe. I didn't know you were there. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Rocky." He scooted closer to me, laid his head on my chest, and rubbed my belly. "Sounds like your nap killed the crankies."

I started rubbing my fingers between his curls. "It's amazing how much better I feel. I guess I'm not getting enough sleep after all?"

"And it only took a man who has gone through medical school to make you believe it." I pulled on his hair. "Hey! Careful! These curls are how I get the babes!"

I laughed at him. "The only babes you're allowed to get won't be here for another few weeks."

He dragged his finger all over my belly and watched the twins move across my expanded skin. "What do you think they are doing in there?"

I smiled at the top of his head and continued my own hand play in his hair. "Probably wondering whose deep voice is talking to them." I felt them shift while Fitz watched it. "Oooooh, that was a strong one."

"What the hell are they doing? Looks like moving furniture! I swear a foot just round housed your belly." He said in an amazed voice.

"Apparently, they realized they were no longer laying on my bladder. Can you help me up please? I gotta pee now."

He stayed where he was and put his hand right over my stomach. "You two be nice to your mom in there."

The moving stopped immediately. I waited for the kicking to start back, but it didn't. Of course, they would listen to Fitz. I have begged them to stop kicking me for months, to no avail. He gives a one sentence warning and they listen. Great. More mini Fitzes.

When he woke up from his nap, Fitz and I took Lincoln to one of the indoor playgrounds not far from the house. He and Fitz played in a brightly colored ball pit where they threw them at each other with wild laughter. Lincoln covered up his daddy's face with the balls at one point, and then looked for him in the shallow pit. Fitz would remove one of the balls and call his name. Lincoln would giggle and finish uncovering him.

They alternated between going down an open bright red slide and a green covered one, multiple times. Fitz had to carry Lincoln up the stairs, but he quickly got the hang of falling onto his bottom once they reached the top in order to slide down. It got to where I didn't have to coax him to come down after a few times. He flew down the minute he sat down. He loved it! Fitz and I briefly discussed putting a small swing set with a slide in the back yard in the spring.

There were tricycles to ride on, and after Fitz pulled an unhappy Lincoln away from the slides, he enjoyed being pushed around on the little bike. They pretended to crash into the wall near where I was sitting, and Fitz would fall to the ground as if he was wounded. Lincoln cackled loudly every time his father did it. There were big foam blocks for them to climb on too, and the Grant males quickly became sneaky with hiding behind it and pushing it towards me. I would peek over the top and watch Lincoln's face go from fear to laughter in seconds.

I didn't know if it was the nap or simply getting Lincoln out of the house for a while, but I was feeling much better and more relaxed. Watching the two of them play lightened my mood so much more, and when I looked back on how I acted at the doctor's office, I shuddered and felt mortified. I needed more of this with my little family while the babies were on the inside. I rubbed my belly and thought of bringing all three of our children here in a year or so. The thought of keeping up with three small Grants quickly became overwhelming, so I sat and watched them play for a while longer.

After an hour and a half of playing, we loaded up our now unhappy little man into the car to go home and cook dinner. "Did you have fun today, Link?" Fitz asked from the driver's seat.

"No." He said.

No was now what Lincoln said whether the answer to the question was yes or no. Fitz grinned at Olivia and picked up her hand, planting a kiss on top of it. "That was fun! I'm sorry you couldn't play with us, but it looks like you're feeling better?"

"I am. I feel really good. Getting out of the house was nice. In fact, I might help you with dinner when we get home."

"I think you should stay off your feet like the good doctor recommended?" Fitz shot her a look, and Olivia hated that he had kept such good mental notes from their earlier visit.

"I thought you liked me in the kitchen barefoot and pregnant?" Olivia teased.

"I hit it out of the park with the pregnant thing. I mean, I knocked you up good this time, babe." He grinned proudly. "But you can be most helpful to me by sitting down in a chair with your feet up. If you can't do that, then I will be forced to paddle your ass. And while you hate that, Lincoln thinks it's hilarious. Right, Link?"

"No." His voice said from the backseat.

"You're killing my good mood, ya know?" Olivia said, folding her arms across her chest.

"I know how to put you right back in a good one, babe. Once Lincoln is in bed, then I'll tuck you into bed too and do what I do best." He started gyrating in the driver's seat and Olivia shook her head at him and looked out her own window. He was crazy as hell.

Fitz made meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and corn for dinner while Olivia sat in the living room with her feet up on the ottoman and Lincoln played on the floor with his toys. She watched him try to figure out how to put the round piece of plastic into the empty spot for it on the yellow plastic toy. It took him several attempts, but he got it. Then he tried the square piece. That one proved to be a lot more difficult for him and after he lost interest in trying to get it inside the toy, he wanted the round one out. He started whining and threw it across the room.

"Lincoln, baby. That's not nice. We don't throw our toys when we get mad. Go and pick it up please." Olivia said.

Lincoln looked at his mother. Was she serious? He had seen her get mad and cry. At least he wasn't crying. "No." He said.

"Dinner is ready." Fitz called from the kitchen.

Lincoln stood up and walked to where his father was. That was a good escape. He almost had to go pick it up.

Olivia sat where she was for another minute. Her stomach felt tighter than it did a few minutes ago. She rubbed her hand over it until the tightness loosened. Fitz came into the living room and helped her up. "You okay?"

"Yea. I'll live. Dinner smells good." She kissed his lips and went into the kitchen where Lincoln was already wolfing down food from his high chair. "He acts like he's starved to death!" Olivia said with a chuckle.

"He played hard today. Boy needs nourishment. Right, Link?"

"No." He said and shoved a handful of potatoes into his mouth.

Olivia laughed. "I'll be glad when his vocabulary broadens some more." Fitz helped her into a chair and she looked over at her son and asked, "Is it good, baby?"

"Mmmmm." Lincoln said.

Fitz shrugged at his wife. "At least he's not a picky eater. Those are the worst. Megan lived on mac and cheese for two years. I thought Thad was gonna lose his mind or end up buying stock in the company."

"We don't have to worry about that with him. His stomach is gonna be hell on our wallet when he's a teenager." She chuckled and watched him bring his spoon to his mouth and get most of it inside. "And he's gonna need a bath later." She sighed.

"At least he likes those too. Link's a happy kid most of the time, in fact. Makes me wonder what the twins will be like? I hope they aren't whiney and picky." Fitz shivered dramatically, making Lincoln laugh. "We'll teach 'em, won't we Link?"

"No." Lincoln replied and continued eating.

"Mmm mmm mmm." Liv cut her eyes to her husband. He was only going to teach them how to be rowdy and sarcastic. Her stomach tightened again and it caused her to quickly place her hand on her belly and inhale sharply.

The devious smile that Fitz was just wearing was gone and replaced with panic. He quickly got up out of his chair and was squatting in front of her, with his hand on top of hers. "Liv? What's the matter?" She shook her head back and forth with her eyes closed tightly and her hand in a fist. When it passed, she released a breath. "What the hell was that?" He demanded.

"Probably nothing." She tried to smile at him, but it wasn't working.

"Is that what you were dealing with in the living room?" He asked. When she didn't answer, his voice got louder. "Liv? Was it?"

She rolled her eyes on a dramatic sigh. "Fine! It was!"

"Have you had more than just the two of them?"

"Maybe once while the two of you were playing earlier?"

He stood up quickly, got his cell phone from the counter, and started pushing buttons. He put it up to his ear and asked, "Why didn't you tell me? You're due in six weeks with twins and these are not your first babies! They could come any time!" He ended the call and pushed another button. "You're supposed to tell me when shit like this happens!"

"Great. Now we both know my medical history. Thank you for the update. Who are you calling?" She asked patiently.

"I'm calling Abby to come over here and watch Lincoln, so I can take your ass to the ER to get checked." She opened her mouth to protest, but Fitz wasn't having it. "You ARE going to the hospital! Don't even try to fight me on this, Liv! Why isn't she answering her damned phone?"

Olivia slowly got up out of her chair and made her way to him. "Fitz. Look at me." When he had ended the call, and looking pissed off, Olivia added, "I'm fine. See?" She smiled big for him.

"What part of you are going to the hospital did you not understand?" She narrowed her eyes at him, went back to her chair at the table, and shot him hateful looks.

Fitz's phone rang, and he touched the face of it and brought it to his ear. "It's about time!"

"Well, hello to you too! What's crawled up your ass and died?" Abby asked angrily.

Fitz pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath of his own. "I'm sorry, Abs. Your FRIEND is experiencing labor pains. Could you come over here to watch Link while I take her to the emergency room to get checked? Please?"

Olivia got back up and waddled closer to him. "Put it on speaker phone!" He complied and the two of them listened.

"Ohmygod! No way!" The redhead shrieked.

"No way is right, Abby. It's just Braxton Hicks. Fitz is freaking out over nothing." Olivia said matter of factly.

"I don't care if it's gas. You're going and that's that!" He stated.

"Talk some sense into him. Please!"

"Liv, you need to get checked out. Just to be sure. You are due any..."

"Nope. We're not doing that! Fitz already went through it, and I don't need to hear it again. I'll be fine."

"Go to the damned hospital, Liv! Do you want to be one of those mothers who has her baby while she's sitting on the toilet? Come on!"

"And that's why she's my favorite." Fitz said with a proud grin.

The redhead let out a huge whoop followed by, "Of course I will. Stephen and I will be right over!"

Fitz ended the call and Olivia said, "That's why I hate both of you."

"Just think about it. We could be having our twins tonight!" He said excitedly.

Olivia paled. That thought had never crossed her mind. She wasn't ready for that yet. Her eyes darted around the room and finally landed on her husband. "Go upstairs and get the hospital bag I packed. Just in case." She'd never tell Fitz, but a small amount of worry had wormed it's way inside her mind now.

Abby held Lincoln on her hip and the two of them waved goodbye from the front door as Fitz and Olivia drove away. "You know they are going to end up sending us home, right?" Olivia said it with more hope in her voice than she actually believed.

"Maybe" Fitz said. "But I'll feel better. Even if it's nothing but false labor. Besides, you did say that you felt better for getting out of the house."

"This isn't exactly what I had in mind." She muttered. Olivia hadn't really entertained the thought of having the babies today, and while her gut was telling her it was Braxton Hicks, her mind was telling her to prepare for pain and pushing. It was a lot to process.

The two of them pulled up at the emergency room and parked the car. They walked in holding hands and Olivia gave her name at the desk. The nurse on duty smiled up at them and asked, "How can I help you?"

"Olivia Grant. Thirty-four weeks pregnant with twins..." Olivia watched her crazy ass husband rattle off her birthday, height, weight, Lincoln's age, and birthday, along with a whole lot of facts that had nothing to do with the reason they were there.

"That's great. Are you a doctor?" The nurse asked, as she eyed him with pursed lips.

Fitz smiled. "No. I'm a baker."

"I didn't think so. All of that information needs to be written down on these forms right here." His smile disappeared as she pushed several pages at him and looked at Olivia. "What seems to be the problem, sweetie?"

"I think I'm experiencing Braxton Hicks, but we came just in case it isn't." Olivia explained.

"Fill out these forms as best you can and take a seat. We'll get to you as soon as we can."

Fitz and Olivia sat down among the other people in the waiting area and began writing information down on the forms that had been given to them. Fitz wordlessly took the clip board up to the nurse at the desk and took his seat beside his wife. He sighed and said, "Now we wait."


	37. Worst Case Scenario

_Again, please bear in mind that although I had 4 babies they were all scheduled C-Sections (I wouldn't do it any differently even if I could) & I have no experience with labor pains or natural births. This and the next chapter is from my Google research. If you consider anything wrong by your own experiences, please forgive me. Thank you, as always, for reading my story._

Worst Case Scenario

"I told you they would send us home. But did you listen? Noooooo. Mr. Big Britches always has to be right." Olivia made her way into the house and yawned loudly. Fitz locked the door behind them and set her hospital bag down.

The emergency room had kept them waiting for a couple of hours before they had brought Olivia back to get checked. A fetal monitor was hooked up to her belly while they kept an eye on the twins and her pains. Once she was checked over, it was announced by the very young looking doctor on duty that she hadn't dilated at all and that the pains she was experiencing were indeed Braxton Hicks. Fitz told the baby doctor that he wanted a second opinion on the matter but was informed that he was the only one on duty at the moment.

"Yea. Well. Doogie Howser was an asshole. He acted like a know it all and that pissed me off."

"Maybe because you demanded a second opinion at the emergency room? Who does that?"

"I do when it comes to my wife!"

"The poor guy was running ragged, taking care of God knows how many people, answering phone calls, and updating families. You're just mad that he called you out on your bullshit."

"I'm going to murder both of you if Lincoln gets woken up by this stupid conversation!" Abby hissed. Fitz and Olivia looked into the living room and saw her holding a sleeping Lincoln in her arms. "Shut the hell up!" She loudly whispered.

Fitz went to the redhead and took his son out of her arms. He wiggled in his sleep as Fitz moved him. Lincoln's arms came around his dad's neck and his head fell on his shoulder. Fitz patted his back and took him upstairs to put him to bed.

"Why didn't you just put him in his crib when he fell asleep?" Olivia asked.

"What do you care?" The redhead asked, making a face. "What did they say?"

"Braxton Hicks, just like I thought. One day that stubborn man will listen to me. How was Lincoln?"

"I wouldn't count on him listening to you any time soon. He's a man." The two women grinned in the dimly lit room. "Lincoln was great. That boy can eat!"

Olivia chuckled. "I know! We were just talking about how expensive it's going to be when he's older."

"After he finished eating his dinner I gave him a bath and let him play in there for as long as he wanted."

"He does love a bath." Olivia smiled.

"And after I got him out and put his pajamas on, he smelled so good. I couldn't stop cuddling him. So, we read some books and he crashed in my arms right here. I couldn't put him down. I sat here and held him and smelled his hair. He probably doesn't have any of that really good after bath smell left on him." Abby said grinning.

"It would have happened sooner or later. Now that he's walking, he's into everything. I caught him throwing his toys in the toilet yesterday. He looked so much like Fitz when I caught him. I almost started laughing. But, you know, he would have done it again, thinking it was a game. He makes it hard to keep a straight face sometimes."

"He's gonna be just like his dad, isn't he?" Abby asked. She already knew the answer to the question, but still found it comical. "And just think, there will be another one just like them coming soon. You're gonna have your hands full, Liv."

"My only hope is to sway this little girl to love me more than her daddy."

"Good luck with that plan." Abby chuckled. She stood up and asked, "Are you sure you're okay? I can stay if you want? You know. Just in case."

"Go! Even you are on his side." Olivia started walking her best friend to the door.

Fitz clomped down the stairs and met the two of them at the door.

"What can I say? I've been team Fitz since day one."

He grinned at both of them, while Olivia rolled her eyes. "Can you just pretend to be on my side?"

"Don't you need to go lay down?" Fitz asked his wife with raised eyebrows.

"I hate you." She replied sassily. Hugging Abby, Olivia told her, "I'll call you tomorrow. And thank you for coming over to stay with Lincoln." Fitz grabbed his coat and keys and told Olivia he'd be back as soon as he took Abby home. She put up a fuss saying she could walk across the street, but Fitz wouldn't hear of it, saying she was pregnant and it was freezing outside – and that he didn't want to walk in the cold.

Once Fitz was back home, the two of them climbed into bed and immediately drifted off to sleep. Olivia was woken up a few times during the night, experiencing more of the Braxton Hicks. She didn't wake Fitz up over it because she knew he'd over react and try to drag her right back to the ER. She had no intention of getting out of her warm bed to go to the hospital in January. It wasn't happening! Besides, in Olivia's mind, Braxton Hicks were just another fun part of the joys of pregnancy.

Her little family sat around the table eating breakfast the next morning. Lincoln chatted away happily between bites of his scrambled eggs. Olivia was answering work related emails. And Fitz kept one eye on his wife as he ate in silence. It was all very normal.

And then it wasn't.

Olivia felt another one of the damned pains. She never said a word but started rubbing her tightened belly with both hands as she read the email on her iPad and looked at Fitz from under her lashes. Dammit, he was watching her. She smiled and started humming something, in hopes that it appeared that she was having a bonding moment with the babies. Naturally, he wasn't buying it.

"More Braxton Hicks?" He asked mildly.

He wasn't fooling her with his nonchalant words. Olivia knew that man better than that. He was watching her like a hawk. She stopped humming. "Hmmm?" Olivia asked absentmindedly.

"Don't play dumb, Liv. Your knuckles are white, so I know you're in pain over there. How bad is it? And don't lie to me."

She glanced up at him. "Fine! I'm having another one. It's no big deal. False labor is annoying, but it's nothing I can't..." She sucked in a breath and held onto the edge of the table.

Fitz squatted down in front of me. "It's okay. You're fine. Breathe, babe." He ran his hands up and down the top of her thighs. "Liv! Look at me!"

When she stopped freaking out about the pain, Olivia looked up at him. He was calmly breathing in and out and after a minute, she copied him. "There ya go. Just breathe. Is it easing off some now?"

Olivia nodded and dropped her head onto his shoulder. His arms came around her instantly. He held her close and she clung to him. "You still think those are Braxton Hicks?"

"I don't know. They were much stronger than the ones I had yesterday. They were more like the ones I had in the middle of the night." Shit. She hadn't meant to say that out loud.

Lincoln began to cry.

Olivia stood up to get him, but Fitz pinned her with a look and pointed at the chair. He went to get Lincoln and before she could sit down a puddle began to slowly form at her feet. Olivia froze. "No, no, no, no." She chanted.

Fitz turned around with Lincoln in his arms and was about to lecture her about getting off her feet, when he noticed the panicked look on her face and then the wet floor. His eyes bulged, and he froze in place. He shook his head a few times and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "I think it's safe to say that those aren't Braxton Hicks anymore."

"I think you're right."

"Do you want to admit to me now that Doogie Howser is an asshole? Or later?" He ran to the counter to retrieve his phone and started touching the screen furiously with Lincoln on his hip.

"Doogie Howser is a complete asshole!" She had both hands on her belly and squealed, "Ohmygod I forgot how much it hurts!"

"Uhhhh, mom!"

"Hello, dear. How are you?" Emma asked.

"I'm fine."

"How is my favorite boy?"

"Lincoln is fine too." Fitz said impatiently.

"And how about Olivia?"

"Mom!" He yelled.

"Do not shout at me, Fitzgerald Grant!" She threatened.

"Yes ma'am. I'm sorry I yelled at you."

Olivia giggled and Fitz shot her daggers.

"What's so important that you feel the need to be rude to your own mother?"

Fitz took a deep breath. " Olivia's water just broke."

"Well, why didn't you say so in the first place?" She demanded.

"Nan" Lincoln said, as he tried to reach for the phone.

He held his phone out and rolled his eyes at it. "I tried to tell you. Can you and dad come over here and watch Lincoln, so I can take her to the hospital please?"

"Of course we can. It's gonna take us at least thirty minutes to get there though. You can't wait around, Fitzgerald."

Fitz contemplated ending the call, but he knew she would hunt him down and murder him. Even if he was in the hospital with his pregnant wife. "I'm going to call Abby to come over until you get here. She was here with Lincoln last night while I took Liv to the emergency room with Braxton Hicks." He spat the last two words out bitterly.

"There's no such thing as Braxton Hicks. Everyone knows that is just early labor. I'll bet the doctor looked twelve years old?"

"Mom? I absolutely adore you for that."

"As well you should. Now hang up the phone so we can get moving."

"Be careful getting over here."

"Are you telling me what to do?"

He huffed loudly. "I wouldn't dream of it." He ended the call and then placed another one. "Stephen? It's Fitz. Look, is there any way that one or both of you could come over and watch Lincoln just until my parents get here? Liv's water just broke."

"Holy shit, mate! That's...a bit early isn't it?" He asked in a concerned voice. "Sorry. We'll be right over."

Fitz threw his phone on the counter and went back to Olivia. Lincoln leaned towards his mother, wanting to be held by her, but Fitz held him firmly. "Sorry, buddy. You can't sit with mommy right now."

Lincoln began to whine, reaching his arms pitifully towards his mother.

"Give him something to eat."

"Liv, he just ate!"

"I know my son. He's a disposal. Give him a piece of toast and he'll be fine."

Fitz handed his son the toast. "He's just gonna throw it across the..." He watched Lincoln proceed to shove a corner of the toast into his mouth happily. "He just ate!"

Olivia giggled. "I know my boy. I'm going to go upstairs and get changed."

"You're not going upstairs by yourself."

Olivia crinkled her nose at him. "Do you think these babies are just going to fall out of my vagina because I'm walking up the stairs?"

"No, smartass. I was thinking what if you get another" air quotes "Braxton Hicks and you fall."

"Good point. You and the boy can follow me. If I fall, I land on you, NOT him. Got it?" She threatened.

He snapped his fingers twice. "Let's go."

"When we come back downstairs, I'm going to mop the kitchen floor."

"Have you lost your damned mind? You're not mopping the floor. You're in labor!"

She turned to look at him from two steps above him and pointed a finger in his face. "I am not bringing home babies to a dirty house. And I am definitely NOT having your mother come over here and seeing it. I feel fine and I am mopping the floor. Deal with it!" She turned around to continue up the steps

Lincoln looked at his dad. Fitz looked at his son. Neither one of them spoke a word, and both of them were a little scared.

Twenty minutes later, after Abby's insistence that she would mop the damn floor and to go already, and Olivia's defiant NO, Olivia and Fitz left the house. Luckily, the hospital bag that Fitz had left by the front door earlier that morning hadn't been moved, and it was grabbed on their way out. They passed his parents on the road and got a chipper thumbs up from Emma, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

Olivia called her parents, now that they were on their way to the hospital. "Daddy?" Fitz said nothing but found it humorous that his wife was still a daddy's girl and yet couldn't understand why he was over the moon about having a daughter. "Fitz and I are on the way to the hospital. My water broke about a half hour ago. We should be there in about twenty minutes or so, depending on traffic." She listened for a minute and then said, "Of course I want you both there. I just feel terrible that Thomas and Emma are staying behind with Lincoln and can't come." She listened a little more and said, "I'll let you know my room number when I get one. I love you too, daddy."

"Your parents are going to come to the hospital?" Fitz asked with his eyes on the road. His right hand was suddenly in immense pain and he glanced over at his wife. Her face was the picture of pain. "Another one? Already?" When she nodded silently, with her eyes closed tightly, he stepped on the gas a little more.

The two of them walked into the hospital and were met by the same nurse they had seen there the night before. She smiled up at them and then quickly dropped it. "Did you come back to offer more unnecessary background history?"

Fitz narrowed his eyes at her. "Not today. That child doctor that we saw last night said that she was having Braxton Hicks. But, oddly enough, her water broke less than an hour ago." He leaned his elbow on the counter and propped his smiling face onto it. "Is that usually how Braxton Hicks work?"

The nurse looked at Fitz wearily. This guy had been a pain in the ass the night before, and it seemed that wasn't going to change today either. It had been a busy night in the emergency room, but she remembered him because of his nervous chatter when they had arrived. She smiled right back at him and said, "Not usually. But every pregnancy is different. And since your wife is expecting..."

"I really wouldn't finish that statement," He peered at her name tag. "Rebecca." He pointed at Olivia, who was shaking her head back and forth at the absurdity of the conversation she was hearing. "This one, really hates to be reminded of her medical condition."

They were wasting time. Olivia slammed her hand down on the counter, causing both the nurse and Fitz to jump. "Look! My water broke recently. I think that is the important thing here." She gestured wildly with her hands. "Not whatever the hell this is! I need a wheelchair, a room, and an obstetrician who has delivered more babies than his age, and I need it NOW!"

Fitz smiled politely at Rebecca. "Did I mention that she's a lawyer? A very good one too." He winked at her smugly.

"Fitz! That's not helping!" She gripped the edge of the counter, dropped her head to her chest, and began to make whining sounds.

He snapped his head to his wife's direction and began rubbing her back. "Again?"

But the nurse was faster. She brought a wheelchair behind Olivia and helped ease her into it. Rebecca folded down the foot rests and put Olivia's feet onto them and proceeded to tell another nurse that she would be back soon. The three of them were headed down a hall and Fitz was holding his wife's hand. When they reached the end of it, the nurse turned the wheelchair abruptly to the right, and ran over Fitz's feet. While he was biting his tongue in half to keep from swearing and hopping on one foot in obvious pain, Rebecca grinned to herself and kept going.

Olivia was put in a room where she was put into a hospital gown, hooked up to all kinds of wires and bands, while nurses asked rapid fire questions. Fitz sat in a chair by her side and quietly experienced déjà vu from a little over a year ago when Lincoln was born. The more he watched Olivia experience the ever growing labor pains, the more he felt happy with their decision to not have more babies. Three babies were more than he had hoped to have with her. He smiled to himself as he thought back to their first conversation about how many kids they wanted to have together. It was the day they moved in together.

 *****FLASHBACK*****

"Will you still be walking around the house naked and throwing sexual innuendos at me in ten years?" Olivia had asked him.

"That depends." He had said.

"On what exactly? Olivia had asked him.

"On how many kids are running around. No one wants to see their dad naked. It would be creepy." And then he asked her the burning question he had wanted to know the answer to for quite some time. "Do you want kids, Liv?"

"Eventually. Right now, I am content with the way things are. With us. With my career. How many kids do you want to have?" She had asked him.

He had joked and said six, which had caused Olivia to freak out and then relax. Then Fitz had told her exactly what his feelings were. "I wouldn't mind two or three, but definitely more than one." He had gone on to tease her saying that only children were spoiled and always wanted their own way. It was a good memory. One that caused Fitz to smile whenever it popped up into his mind.

 *****END FLASHBACK*****

Here was his wife, and wasn't that amazing in itself - that he had been able to talk this amazing woman into being his wife in the first place? And she was about to give birth to babies number two and three in a matter of hours. Life was about to get a whole lot busier, but Fitz couldn't see himself doing any of it with anyone else. She had his whole heart from the beginning, and he was so thankful.

He was brought back to the present by Olivia's regular obstetrician's words. "You are in labor now. You've dilated to a six and are progressing very quickly. Apparently, these babies aren't interested in being on the inside any longer." He turned around to throw away the glove he had just taken off.

Fitz smiled at the similarities his children already had. "Just like Link. He was in a hurry to get here too."

"But it's too early. I've been reading a lot about births of twins. And even though they are usually born early, this is earlier than that. Are they going to be okay once they get here?" Olivia was feeling panic rise up inside of her, and while she hated the words she was saying, at the same time, she needed answers.

"You are one day short of being thirty-five weeks pregnant with these twins. I know that you are worried about what the baby books say, but...babies don't know how to read." He smiled at her. "Don't worry, Olivia. Everything that should be monitored, is being watched very carefully. From their heart rates, to your blood pressure and temperature. You are in labor, which is better than having your water break and not being in labor."

"How is this better?" Olivia asked.

"Because things happening this way means your babies will be here soon. If your water had broke but you didn't go into labor, you would be prone to infection. And the babies would too. You'd spend more time in the hospital being watched, taking antibiotics, and waiting until labor decided to start. Or we started it for you. This way is natural, without interference. Besides, the babies are at a good size, judging from your last OB visit and your ultrasound."

"What's the worst case scenario?" Olivia wanted to know.

"Liv." Fitz really didn't want her to worry about any of that right now. Whatever the case was when the twins were born, they would handle it together.

Olivia looked at her husband. "I really want to know. As a lawyer, I need to know all possible outcomes of a case before I go into the courtroom. This is much more important than that. So, I want to know. Before it surprises me."

"Babies born at thirty-six weeks, especially twins, happens more often than you might think. I delivered a set of twins last week who were only thirty-four weeks. They had very little complications and went home with their parents just weeks later."

"But?" Olivia asked wearily.

"But, all babies are different. Your babies might need to stay in the NICU for a few days or a few weeks, depending on several things." He patiently explained.

"What things?" Fitz asked. Somehow, he had gotten sucked into the bubble of fear and he didn't like it. Didn't like the idea of leaving the hospital with his wife and leaving the babies behind.

"Well, they could have jaundice, or they might not be able to eat on their own, or their temperature doesn't stay where it needs to be, and they have to be kept under a warmer. Those are the most common issues early babies endure. And you need to be mindful of those things, and prepared for them, in case they happen. But..."

"But all babies are different." Olivia finished.

"Exactly. Besides, it's not good for you to worry right now. You've got work to do, and you need to rest up for it as best you can. I'll be back to check on you shortly."

"I want the epidural this time." Olivia stated.

"Excuse me?" the OB doc asked.

"I missed the window of opportunity to have one with my son and I'm not about to go through double all of that without an epidural."

"I'll order you one now."

After he left the room, Fitz held Olivia's hand and asked if she needed anything. She scooted closer to one side of the bed and said, "Come lay beside me." Fitz looked at the size of the bed and the small available space, seeing an impossible situation. But he got on his side and tried to accommodate her.

He was rubbing her belly with the hindrance of the monitor in the way when Olivia asked, "Do you remember when Ella was born?"

"Of course I do. That was a crazy night. I had to wake you up from your sleep coma at Cy's insistence." Fitz chuckled.

Olivia laughed too. "That was the first time we talked about having our own babies one day."

Fitz propped his head on his palm and said, "That's so weird that you were thinking about that. You're wrong, but it's weird."

"I'm not wrong." She declared in a defensive voice. "But why is that weird?"

"You are most definitely wrong. Because that was not the first time we discussed having our own babies. It's weird, because I was thinking the exact same thing earlier."

"Okay smartass. When was the first time we talked about having babies?" She asked with raised eyebrows.

"The first time was the day we moved in together and I told you that I wanted six kids and you freaked out." He saw her searching her mind for the memory and the smile that came to her lips when she found it. "Remember now?"

"You were really thinking about that earlier?" She looked on the verge of tears.

Fitz leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "As someone very wise once told me, in a different place altogether, this is a cry free zone. Don't start breaking the rules now."

"I'm so glad you're here." Olivia said as she rubbed his stubbled cheek. "I would be a mess without you."

"You're kind of in a mess of my doing already." He played with a strand of her hair. "No matter what happens once the twins get here, we'll get through it together, and we'll deal with it together."

Olivia shrugged lightly at his words and then smiled at him before closing her eyes. "That's right. Because we're Grants. And Grants are pretty damned great."

"Bet your ass, babe. Now get some rest."


	38. Double The Love

Double The Love

"One more push should do it, Olivia." The obstetrician was sitting on a rolling stool at the end of the table waiting for baby A's arrival. They had moved Olivia to the operating room once she was at the pushing part. Her obstetrician explained that it was only cautionary, and that most hospitals handled delivery of multiples this way. They hadn't been there long when things got underway. These two infants had zero patience about seeing what life on the outside was like.

This delivery seemed to be so much easier than when she had Lincoln. Olivia had been laboring for about five hours, but the effects of the epidural had been magical and while she felt pressure, the pain was completely bearable. Still, she was glad she had done the hard work the first time around without the aid of the anesthesia. When the pressure from the labor pains had been practically one on top of the other, Olivia knew it was time to push. She assumed the dreaded position and went to work, pushing the first baby out.

"Not so hard. Just like that. Beautiful. The head is out." He announced.

Fitz couldn't be stopped. He moved down to where the action was. His eyes grew wide at seeing a tiny head poking out from his wife's body. He watched as the doctor suctioned out the itty bitty mouth and nose. The miracle of childbirth would always amaze him, but seeing his own children enter the world was endlessly fascinating. He grinned really big and couldn't contain his excitement. "Babe! We made another really cute kid! Tons of curls, just like Link. You gotta hurry up so I can see if it's our son or our daughter!"

Olivia was breathing hard, forehead slick with sweat. But somehow, she found the energy to shoot him a smile. "I'm working on it."

"I'm just saying, we have a lot of fingers and toes to count."

Her only response was a grunt from the pressure of the next labor pain.

"Okay, Olivia. You know how this works. The shoulders are the hardest part, but once you get past that, the rest is a piece of cake."

"You hear that?" Fitz asked excitedly. "A piece of cake, babe."

"If it's so easy, why aren't you doing it?" Olivia asked in a raised voice.

"I'm gonna shut up now." He said quietly.

The baby quickly made its grand entrance. Olivia caught her breath as the doctor announced, "It's a boy." Fitz cut the cord and the baby was placed on his mother's chest while the nurse cleaned him up some. His cry was a little one, just like him, and sounded more like whining.

"Oh, son. You gotta get a manlier cry than that little squeak." Fitz said with a grin. He put his finger near his son's hand and the baby held onto it. His babies holding onto his finger was one of his favorite things.

"Don't be telling my tiny baby that he squeaks." Olivia said defensively. "It's perfect, huh Carter?"

"He is a little guy isn't he? Good thing he's cute." Fitz smiled proudly at his littlest son. "Carter Grant. Sounds like a guy who races sportscars for the Indy 500."

"My baby isn't allowed to race anything. Ever. Besides, he just got here. Did you count his toes yet?"

"When have I had time to count his toes? You keep babying him." Fitz whined.

"And that right there is where you got your unique cry, Carter." Olivia chuckled.

"Don't turn my son against me, Liv."

She wrinkled her nose at him. "You know damned well that the three of you are going to try to dominate the house with all your testosterone."

"Try?" He asked incredulously.

"As soon as my mini me gets here, you're all doomed! The three of you might run the house, but we will run the world."

Fitz rolled his eyes but grinned at her. "We gotta come up with another middle name for him or Abby is going to kill you."

"I already got it covered. It's pretty damned good if I do say so myself."

"Do I get to know what it is before he moves out?"

She shrugged. "We'll see."

"Liv." He warned.

"Fine! His name is Carter Fitzgerald Stephen Grant."

Fitz smiled proudly. "Carter Fitzgerald sounds like a stud!"

"I haven't signed the birth certificate, yet you know? Don't make me change my mind."

"I'm going to take him to get weighed and measured. We'll check him over to see how he's doing." The nurse informed them.

"Can you fix that sad little cry?" Fitz joked.

"Fitzgerald Grant! Do you want to be in this room when your only daughter is born?"

"Good point, babe."

"Little Carter weighs five pounds seven ounces, and he measures..." The littlest Grant son was measured from head to heel. "Seventeen inches long."

Fitz watched as his brand new son was checked over from head to foot. Besides being on the small side, he didn't seem to have any health issues. Of course, Fitz was just a baker, not a doctor. He pulled his phone from his pocket and began taking pictures of his tiny son. "Is he...I mean, is he okay?" Fitz nervously asked the nurse.

"He's a little small, but that's to be expected when you have twins who decide to come early. He scored well on his Apgar though, so that's something. We'll keep an eye on his temperature and his breathing to make sure his numbers stay where they should."

Fitz breathed a little easier knowing Carter had stared out well. He hoped he stayed that way. Again, he reached his index finger down to his son's hand in the incubator and immediately Carter grasped it. Fitz leaned down, grinning, and said, "I can't wait for you to meet your big brother. The three of us are going to do some crazy stuff together."

"What are you telling my baby over there?" Olivia asked.

"I'll tell you when I see my daughter." He cocked his head to the side and raised his eyebrows challengingly.

"I hate you sometimes." She replied.

The doctors and nurses chuckled at their banter.

"And now I have two mini mes." He gave her a sympathetic smile. "You only have one."

"Katie and I will have you and the boys straightened out in no ti...Oooh!" She looked at the doctor wide eyed. "I think that's a contraction."

"It definitely is. Apparently, your daughter heard her mommy was in need of reinforcements." He said with a smile.

"See." Olivia said through gritted teeth. "You're in for it now."

"I'll be back in a minute." Fitz told Carter. He took his place beside his wife and encouraged her to push through the pressure.

A cry was heard, and the doctor announced, "The head is out. Baby B is either really feisty or mad about something." He chuckled.

"You're already in trouble." Olivia said.

Again, Fitz watched as his daughter's mouth and nose were suctioned out. No sooner had the doctor pulled the blue bulb syringe from her mouth, she began crying again. He turned his head to Olivia and chuckled. "She is super pissed off, babe. Probably because she can't move her arms and legs? Push the poor girl out."

"It probably has more to do with the fact that her daddy thinks world domination is just for guys?"

"A king is nothing without his queen though." He said giving her his stupid smile and pecked her lips.

"That's the corniest thing I've ever heard." Olivia giggled.

"And just like that, she's here. Born from laughter." The doctor said with a smile.

Once again, Fitz cut the cord and little Katie was put on her mother's chest and wiped down as she continued to cry. "She looks just like you, Liv. Look at that cute little nose. She's perfect."

"She has blue eyes too." Olivia said, as she pushed the mass of curls from her daughter's forehead and held her close. "Katie has a good mixture of both of us in her."

A tear fell from Fitz's smiling face. "I wish Katie had gotten to meet her."

Olivia reached a hand to his cheek, brushed the tear away, and gave him a smile. "I like to think she'll be looking down on her. She'd be really proud of the man you turned out to be, Fitz."

"I like the sound of that too." He kissed Olivia and then the top of his daughter's head. "You are amazing. Did you count her fingers and toes yet?"

"How could I when you won't stop hovering?"

"I need to see how much this cute little one weighs and check her over." A nurse interrupted.

Fitz followed her to another incubator and watched as Katie was weighed and measured and tested. "She weighs five pounds four ounces." He announced to his wife. "How's her apgar?" He asked the nurse.

"Her apgar is an eight, which is okay, but she's not quite as warm as we'd like. Her temperature is only ninety-seven. Early babies don't have enough body fat to keep their temperature where it should be. She's a little on the low side, so we are going to take her up to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to keep an eye on it. We'll put a thermometer on her belly that will sense her body temperature and regulate heat in the incubator. It's all non-invasive." She informed us.

Fitz looked at Olivia with wide eyes, wondering what he should do. "Go with Katie." She said. "We'll be fine." When Fitz and Katie had disappeared, Olivia asked her doctor, "Will she be okay?"

"The NICU nurses are very good at what they do. As soon as you are up to it, you'll be taken downstairs to see her. She's in good hands. Congratulations."

When she was wheeled back into her hospital room, Olivia felt overcome with exhaustion. Fitz hadn't come back to give her an update on Katie. Carter had been taken to the nursery, so Olivia could sleep. She had told the nurses that she wanted to be the one to feed him when he was ready to eat. She was desperate for information about her daughter but could not keep her eyes open to ask. She fell asleep quickly.

Olivia was woken up by one of the nurses about an hour and a half later. "Mrs. Grant? I'm so sorry to wake you up, but you said you wanted to feed your son when he was ready. He's definitely ready." Carter was crying loudly from the incubator a few feet away from his mother's bed.

She sat up in her bed and held her arms out for her son. She cradled her newborn while the nurse put the bottle together for him. As soon as it was placed in his mouth, silence filled the room. Olivia looked up to the nurse and asked, "Thank you. Is there any word on our daughter?"

"I haven't heard anything, but I can find out for you." She replied.

"Thank you." Olivia went back to giving Carter her attention. "Is that good little man? It doesn't smell very good, but it's gonna give you big muscles like your goofy daddy. Yes, it is."

Carter stopped sucking and looked at his mother through squinted eyes. Olivia chuckled at him and said, "You look just like your grandfather right now. That's a good thing because he's very handsome."

"Who is very handsome?" A voice from the doorway asked.

"Daddy." Olivia said with a smile. Nathaniel came to the bed and looked down at the small bundle his daughter was holding. "I was just telling Carter that the face he was making reminded me of you."

Nathaniel kissed his daughter's cheek and his grandson on top of his head. "So, you've already been blessed with good looks, huh Carter? How are you doing, munchkin?"

"I'm fine. Just woke up from a nap. I can't seem to find out anything about Katie though. Momma? What are you doing?" Olivia asked.

"I'm washing my hands so I can hold my littlest man." Lile explained. "Where's Fitz?"

"Somebody calling my name?" He asked as he come through the door. He kissed his mother in law on the cheek and shook his father in law's hand.

"Where have you been? How's Katie? Is she getting warm? Why did you leave her alone?" Olivia asked impatiently.

"Babe? I've been upstairs in the NICU with our daughter, who is still mad at the world for being forced to enter it too soon. She's doing great. Her temperature is staying where it should, but they are keeping an eye on it for now. As for your last question, I left her to come see our son so you could go spend some time with her." He stood beside his wife and watched Carter slowly drink his bottle. "He looks like a little old man." Fitz chuckled.

"I just said the same thing." Olivia giggled. Nathaniel cleared his throat and Olivia added, "Sorry, dad. He's doing great. I got a nap and he just came in for his first feeding." She took the bottle out of his mouth and held it up. "He's a slow eater."

"That'll change once he's around Link. You snooze you lose when it comes to him and food." Fitz ran a finger over the top of his head.

"Do you wanna burp him while I call for the nurse and arrange my ride upstairs?" She asked.

Fitz already had his hands out and was plucking him out of his mother's arms before she could finish her sentence. "Hey, buddy. I'm your daddy. I have a really good track record of getting burps out, so you're gonna have to work with me so I can keep my burp master title. Okay?" No sooner did Fitz have the tiny infant on his shoulder than Carter let out a tiny little one. "That's my boy." Fitz said proudly.

Once Carter got all the bubbles out, he was passed to his grandmother who fed him a little more of his tiny bottle. A nurse came in with a wheelchair and with her and Fitz's help Olivia was off the bed and sitting down, ready to go see her daughter. "I'll be back soon" she told Fitz and pecked his lips before leaving.

Upstairs in the NICU, Olivia was instructed to wash her hands thoroughly. She was given a hospital gown to put on over her own nightgown and robe. She was led to where little Katie was laying, in an incubator, eyes open, taking in her environment as best she could. The nurse inside the NICU told Olivia that Katie could be fed and the new mom happily nodded. She was also informed that holding Katie's little hat and diaper clad body against Olivia's bare skin was good for keeping the infants temperature normalized while she wasn't in the incubator. She showed Olivia how to hold Katie against her chest.

Another important thing, Olivia learned is when feeding NICU babies, you hold them upright instead of cradled in your arm. The nurse explained that holding them this way helps the newborn to stay awake during feedings. After a brief conversation on the topic, the nurse gave the new mom a tiny bottle to feed to her daughter. When Olivia was comfortable with the instructions, the nurse left the two Grant ladies to get better acquainted.

Olivia slid the nipple into Katie's mouth and watched her eat. She was the exact opposite of her twin brother and was eating like a pro. "Way to go, baby girl. Momma likes a good eater." She watched her daughter eat a little longer and then checked the bottle and decided it was time to get the air out. Olivia slid Katie down the front of her nightgown, careful to keep her face turned, and began patting her back repeatedly.

"I know your daddy got to you first, and he probably has already filled your head with craziness I don't even want to know about. He has wanted a little princess for a very long time, and now we have one. I gotta warn you though, he's a little bit goofy. He's gonna be that dad. He's gonna think every single thing you do is magical and perfect. Don't get sucked in to that. It'll just make him worse. I'm tellin' ya, Katie."

After a few small burps came out of those tiny lips, Olivia sat Katie back up and fed her some more and continued her conversation. "Us girls gotta stick together because there's an awful lot of boys at our house now. We have a secret weapon though and he is on our side. His name is Grandad and he loves his girls." Olivia chuckled at the thought of her father with Katie. "In fact, he's gonna be pretty powerless when it comes to you. He's mostly powerless already with your big brother, Lincoln.

I can't wait until you meet Lincoln. He is gonna be a great big brother. He'll protect you when you're older, and he'll love on you, and play with you. And you have another big brother too. But I'll bet you are glad to get a little space from Carter right now after sharing such close quarters with him for so long, huh? I bet it feels good to be able to stretch?."

Katie's eyes started to close, and she stopped sucking on the bottle. Olivia smiled at her, pulled the bottle from her mouth, and checked it. Her eyebrows went up when she realized that her daughter had taken about an ounce and a half of the formula. "That's momma's girl." She slid the newborn back down into the front of her gown and rocked them back and forth as she patted her tiny back for more burps. When she was satisfied with the few she got from Katie, Olivia whispered, "We're gonna be out of here in no time."

After happily holding Katie for a few hours, Olivia's stomach growled, and she knew she needed to get some food into her own body. Olivia told one of the nurses that she needed to go back to her room. She kissed the top of her daughter's head, promised to be back soon, and placed Katie back into her incubator before being wheeled back to her room.

When she got there, Fitz was sitting on the hospital bed, holding Carter, and talking to him in a whisper with a grin on his handsome face. "Shhhh! Mommy is back. Tell her nothing of our plans."

"Fitzgerald Grant!"

"Yes, my love?"

"What are you two plotting over here?"

"If I told you it wouldn't be a very good plot now would it?" He got off the bed with their son in his arms and watched his wife get situated on it. "How's my daughter?"

She shot him a look. "Our daughter is doing great. She chugged her bottle like Lincoln eats food. We just need to get her temperature to stay normal and we'll be in the clear to take her home." She held her arms out for Carter. "Did little man finish his bottle? And where are my parents?"

"It took him a while, but he did finish it. He peed too. Your parents went down to the cafeteria to get some coffee. And my parents called while you were at the NICU. They are bringing Lincoln up here for a short visit." Fitz rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "I can't wait to get my boys together."

Olivia rolled her eyes and looked down at Carter. "I've already had a little chat with your sister about your daddy. You and I will have one too when he goes back to visit Katie."

"Liv, don't be talking shit about me to our kids." He warned halfheartedly.

"See that, Carter? It just takes a threat to make him call the three of you our kids."

Fitz grinned and leaned down to kiss his wife. "Are you ready for something to eat?"

"Have I told you lately that you're perfect?" She asked with a grin of her own.

"You haven't." He replied, kissing her again.

"Good. You'll get big headed and you're impossible to live with when that happens."

He chuckled at her. "I love you, crazy woman. What would you like for me to go and get for the bearer of my children?"

"Mmmm, I don't care. I'll eat pretty much anything at this point." She grabbed a fistful of the front of his shirt and pulled him down for one more kiss. "I love you more, babe."

"Lies. You know it's not possible. I'll be back shortly. Don't go anywhere."

"I'll be right here." She watched him leave the room and looked back down at Fitz's mini me. "Your daddy is crazy, but he's a really good guy. You should try to be just like him when your bigger."

Olivia had eaten dinner, Fitz was holding Carter, and they were both talking to her parents before Olivia headed back up to the NICU to visit with Katie when a knock was heard on the door. "Come in" Olivia called out.

"Is it safe to uncover my eyes?" Charles and his wife Angie came into the room. Charles was covering his eyes with his hand. Fitz and Olivia chuckled at him, while Olivia's parents looked confused.

"Mom. Dad. These sweet, somehow not blind people were our neighbors at the old house. Charles and Angie, these are my parents, Nathaniel and Lila Pope." Hands were shaken, and pleasantries exchanged among the small group. "How did you know we were here?"

"We knew you were pretty close to your due date, so we went by your place to check on you and met Fitz's parents instead. They explained the situation, so we drove over to see the babies. And to visit with the two of you since we knew you'd be dressed." Charles explained.

Fitz and Olivia chuckled. Nathaniel and Lila did not.

"Are we missing something?" Lila asked in a voice filled with confusion.

"No." Fitz and Olivia said together.

"I'm so glad you two came by to see us. We only have Carter in here now. Miss Katie is up in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. She decided she was too cool for us." Fitz chuckled. "Literally."

At their blank stares, Olivia rolled her eyes and explained the situation. "So, they are trying to get her body temperature up to normal and she has to stay in the incubator with the warmer until her little body figures it out. Do you want to hold Carter?"

Charles nodded and turned to the sink to wash his hands. When they were dried, he took the newborn from Fitz's arms and sat down in one of the chairs while his wife stood next to him and looked on. "He's such a little guy. Cute too."

"I'll take the credit for that." Fitz said with a proud grin.

"I was going to say that he looks more like his mother than you, Fitz." Angie said with a wink.

"HA! Daddy got shut down!" Olivia cheered.

"I can't believe how big Lincoln has gotten!" Charles exclaimed. "He's so tall and walking around now. It seems like yesterday that he was just this tiny."

"He's gotten so big. I don't think I'll realize how big he is until I see him next to the twins." Olivia commented. "He's supposed to be coming to visit shortly. I miss my Lincoln log."

"Mama" a little voice said right before two short legs came barreling into the room.

"There's my big guy!" Olivia exclaimed. "Come here, Lincoln. Mommy needs some Lincoln hugs and kisses please."

Lincoln had missed his mommy and wrapped his arms around her neck and held her tight. When he pulled back Lincoln gave her a kiss. He looked around the room at all the people. He smiled and said, "Daddy."

Fitz stood up and scooped Lincoln up into a big hug. "Link! Buddy! I missed you. Where's my hugs and kisses?" He poked his son in the side until he giggled.

Lincoln always made his daddy work for his hugs and kisses these days. Now that he had paid up, Lincoln kissed his daddy and then gave him a hug. He looked back at his mother in the little bed and wondered why she was here in her jammies? He leaned towards her and Fitz set him on the bed beside Olivia.

"There's someone you should meet, Lincoln. You have a new baby brother." Olivia looked up as Fitz brought the newborn over to show him to his brother. Fitz held the baby down so Lincoln could get a good look at him. "This is Carter. He's your brother. Isn't he little? He's cute too, just like you."

Lincoln looked at the small thing. It looked like a people. A really small one. Lincoln lifted a finger to touch it. Just when his finger was about to make contact with the little people, his mother gently said, "Careful. We have to be easy."

Lincoln pulled his finger away and looked at his mother.

"You can touch him, baby. But you have to be gentle." Olivia held Lincoln's hand and guided him to touch his brother's cheek softly.

Fitz unwrapped Carter and showed Lincoln the baby's fingers and toes. "See, Link. He's got hands and feet just like you."

Lincoln reached his hand down to the little wrinkled hand. The little hand grabbed onto his bigger one and he smiled up at his father. This wasn't so bad. Lincoln wondered if he could play with his toys some time when he came to visit?

"Ohmygod! I think he likes his brother! This is gonna be great." Olivia whispered excitedly. She looked at Lincoln and said, "Can you say Carter?"

Lincoln looked at his mother. He didn't know who or what a Carter was, and he definitely wasn't gonna say it. He was still working on Grandad and that was his next word. Somebody needed to come get this little people so he could spend some time with his mommy and daddy. They had been gone an awful long time and they needed to come home now.

"Can you say Carter, Link?" Fitz encouraged him with a smile.

"No." Lincoln said.


	39. Twice the Blessing

_Sorry for the delay with this chapter. Life has been keeping me busy lately. Thank you for your patience and for taking the time to read this story. I appreciate each and every one of you._

Twice the Blessing

Fitz and Olivia had been taking turns with being downstairs in her hospital room with Carter and being upstairs in the NICU with Katie. Both of them wanted to bond with the twins and enjoyed their quiet time with each newborn. The couple would update each other in passing on what cute thing they saw the baby doing or how well they ate or peed. They had a good routine and felt comfortable knowing neither baby was left alone more than a few minutes.

Olivia was upstairs in the NICU with Katie feeding her a bottle and telling her how great she was doing when one of the nurses stopped by to talk to them. She sat down across from Olivia and smiled as the little girl ate. "She's really got the hang of eating, doesn't she?"

"She took right to it from the very first bottle, didn't you Katie?" Olivia pulled the nipple from her daughter's mouth and put her up on her shoulder to begin the burping process. A burp immediately popped out of her tiny mouth and Olivia chuckled, adding, "She's not shy about getting the gas out either."

"That's a good thing. In fact, Katie is doing great. She's eating well, producing wet and dirty diapers, and she's been keeping her temperature up all on her own for the past fourteen hours. She's a model patient now and we're really gonna miss having her here."

"We're very excited to get her home where we can all be comfortable, and our older son can get to know them. It won't be long now though. Just a few more days hopefully?" Olivia cooed to the baby.

"Mrs. Grant? I don't think you understand what I'm saying?"

"Oh?" A worried look crossed Olivia's face. "Do you think she'll have to stay longer than a few more days?"

"Just the opposite, actually. She is able to go downstairs with you now and when you are released from the hospital, Katie can go home with you."

Olivia stared at the nurse for a long moment and resumed feeding Katie. "Really? Are you sure it's safe? What if her temperature goes back down? What if something new happens and we don't know what to do?"

"You've had a baby already, so you know that anything can happen. But Katie is ready to go home and be with her family now. If you have any concerns, don't hesitate to call your pediatrician. They are used to new mommy worries – or in your case, multiple mommy ones. The only thing preventing the three of you from leaving is your doctor releasing all of you. She's going to be fine."

Olivia grabbed the nurse in a watery hug. "Thank you so much! I'm so excited!" She looked down at her now passed out infant. "We're going home soon, Katie love. Can I take her downstairs now? I just know her twin brother has missed her."

"We'll get a hospital Cadillac to take the both of you down there in style." She said with a smile. At Olivia's crinkled brow, she said, "I'm talking about a wheelchair of course."

"That's what I thought, but I didn't want to ask." Olivia said with a smile.

All of Katie's things were packed up and placed in a pink diaper bag that was hooked onto the hand rest of the wheelchair. The same nurse that broke the news to her was the one to take the two Grant females downstairs. When they reached Olivia's room, she saw Fitz and Carter sitting comfortably on her bed watching television together. Well, Fitz was watching while Carter slept on his father's chest. Olivia hoped Carter was enjoying it, because that was her happy place and she would be taking it back as soon as they got home.

"What's going on in here?" She asked.

"Babe? You're supposed to be..." The question died on his lips quickly when he saw that Olivia had Katie in her arms. "What is m...our daughter doing out of the NICU?"

Olivia shrugged. "She got tired of being in there. Now that she's perfectly fine and holding her temperature like a good little Grant, she's been released."

Fitz got off of the bed as quickly as he could with a passed out newborn on his chest. "Really?" He snapped his eyes up to the nurse standing behind his wife. "She's really okay? Like okay okay? Okay enough to not have to be warmed or monitored?"

The nurse nodded. "I think you've both got your hands full with this one. She's a little fighter."

"Just like her mother." Fitz said with a smile. He leaned down and kissed his wife. Katie began to wail.

"Don't be interrupting your daddy when he's giving me kisses, Katie love." Olivia said smiling at her daughter.

"She really is just like you, Liv. She wants my complete attention." Fitz gently placed Carter in his mother's arm and took the crying baby from her other arm. "We don't cry for daddy, little princess. We've talked about this before. Daddy gets all the smiles, and kisses, and only wet diapers." Katie stopped crying instantly. "That's my baby girl."

Olivia watched her husband making goofy faces at their daughter and wondered if she'd have more trouble from the boys or Fitz and Katie?

"Who feels like going home today?" A voice asked from the doorway.

Olivia sighed. "I have a feeling Fitz and Katie are going to gang up on me and that wasn't the plan I had when I decided to have a daughter. Do you have any words of wisdom?"

"She's just mad because Katie stops crying when I hold her." Fitz said sassily. "Just admit that I've got the magic touch."

The obstetrician looked over at Olivia and said, "You know how to work this to your advantage, right?" At her confused look, he smiled at her and said, "Every time she cries, she goes to her father. Problem solved."

Olivia held up her hand and smirked in her husband's unhappy direction as the doctor hit it with his. "I knew there was a reason I wanted you to deliver all of my babies, Doctor Ballew. You have such a great way of simplifying things for me."

"Liv. Wait." Fitz sputtered. This was backfiring on him rather quickly.

"I admit it, babe. You've got the magic touch. And until she's in college, you get to be the one to quiet all those tears. You've never been a girl before so let me tell you, there is a LOT of tears." Olivia joked.

"Amen to that." Doctor Ballew said with a chuckle. "I've got four daughters and I never knew the various reasons, sane and insane, that can make a female cry." He looked over at Olivia and said, "You didn't answer my question young lady."

"What question was that?" Olivia asked.

"Who feels like going home today?" He said with a smile.

"Are you kidding? We all do!"

"Here are your release forms. Sign your life away on all the dotted lines and you are free to go."

"No offense doc, but I am ready to take my family away from here." Fitz said excitedly.

"None taken. I don't exactly hang out around here after quitting time either. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call me. As both of you know the twins will have to see their pediatrician early next week, so I'd go ahead and schedule that as soon as possible. Take someone with you to help. It's a lot more difficult with two babies than it was with one, even though we can all agree that Lincoln Grant is an angel from heaven." The three adults chuckled. "Get your rest. Get lots of help until you're comfortable being alone with them. There is no shame in asking for help with your three children. You'll end up exhausted and short of patience. Babies can sense that, so take care of yourself." Doctor Ballew shook both of their hands and left his card with them before leaving the room.

"We've got to get them dressed in their going home outfits and then we can go." Olivia giddily informed Fitz.

"We'll be done in no time. Good thing I hooked the car seats up in my car the other day." Fitz looked down at Katie, who began wailing again when he took off her hospital t-shirt. "She is practically the female version of Link. Remember how much he hated being naked when he was little?"

Olivia shot him a look as she dressed Carter without incident. "My baby is still little. He's barely a year old. But you're right. I wonder if the two of them will bond really fast or if he will need some time to adjust to her?"

"Link is easy going. He just doesn't understand what's going on right now. He's probably missing having us at home?"

"Another good reason to get the twins dressed and get going. Carter might just be the most chill baby of all of them? Look at him." Olivia said with a giggle.

Carter had the bottom half of his baby blue monogrammed sleeper on his legs, but the top half was bare. He was blissfully asleep with his arms up on either side of his head. He could care less that he wasn't fully dressed. "He might be my favorite." Fitz said with a grin.

"Fitz! You can't have a favorite!" She laughed. "Why is Katie still yelling unhappily over there?"

"Because she isn't fully dressed and is pissed off about it. My girl doesn't like to be cold, do you angel?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Hurry the hell up and get your angel dressed before she wakes up her brother."

"Yes dear" Fitz replied.

Fitz kept an eye on the sleeping twins while Olivia took a quick shower. While he heard her happily singing in the shower, he pulled out his phone and called his trusty co-conspirator. On the second ring, he heard the annoyed voice he had grown to love. "Hey. What are you up to this beautiful day?"

"What's beautiful about it? It's January. The temperature outside is negative forty. I haven't seen the sun in a week and I haven't seen my feet longer than that."

"I just meant..."

"I know what you meant." Abby said in an irritated tone. "You were trying to butter me up to get your own way for something that you could easily do yourself. Am I close?"

"Have you had your coffee today?" Fitz asked with an eyeroll. "You're crabby."

"No, I have not had my coffee today because Stephen is home. And Stephen got a wild hair up his British ass over something he read recently that says caffeine is bad for the baby! Can you believe that? So he has decided that caffeine of any kind is not allowed in our house until his daughter is born."

"Woah! Stephen must have a death wish! Can't you just wait until he leaves and make yourself a small cup?"

"I would, but the bastard threw it all away. Yea. Can you believe that?" She yelled.

Fitz glanced at his blissfully sleeping babies. "Well, he's new to this dad thing. And it's your first baby, so he's gonna read every book and believe everything it says. He'll learn with the next one. I think..."

"If he keeps this up, there's not going to be a next one!" She shouted. "What's up?"

"I don't exactly want to ask a caffeine starved hormonally charged pregnant psychopath for a favor." Fitz teased.

"Do you want my help with something or not? I am getting ready to sneak out of the house and go to Starbucks. Now is the time to ask."

"I kinda want to wait until you're in a better mood though." Fitz couldn't wait to hear her rage against his humorous teasing.

"Sorry. It's the lack of caffeine running through my veins. Now, what do you want me to do?" Fitz heard the water in the shower turn off and quietly and sweetly made his plea. "You guys are coming home today? Really?" The redhead squealed loudly. "I mean, I can do that. I guess."

"That's why you're my SuperGirl. Liv is getting out of the shower as we speak. We should be home within an hour so make it snappy." Remembering that she was operating with zero caffeine in her bloodstream, Fitz added a sugary, "please."

"Fine. But I get to see the twins for an extended period of time and Lincoln gets to come to my house for a little visit this afternoon."

That was what she wanted in return? To take Lincoln to her house? "Done!" He practically shouted.

"Liv always said you were easy." Abby chuckled.

"She said what now?" Fitz asked. "What else did she..."

"Is that Abby?" Olivia asked from the bathroom doorway.

"Who?" He asked.

"Don't play dumb, Fitz. I know that's Abby and I know you called her to plan some sweet coming home surprise for the twins and me. I'm not trying to get in the way of that but..."

"But what? For your information this is..."

"Put the call on speakerphone." Olivia said with a challenging expression.

"You are the nosiest little woman I have ever met." Fitz said turning away from his wife. He could hear Abby laughing through the line. "I'm not doing that."

"Speakerphone." Olivia gestured with her hands and started walking towards him. "Come on, come on, come on." Knowing he had been bested by his wife, Fitz touched the speakerphone button and rolled his eyes. "Abby? Is that you?"

"Who the hell else would it be?"

"After you've done your decorating at the house, can you please make some coffee. It's looks like it's freezing outside and I'm gonna want a cup. Or three."

"Jeez. You really are the nosiest little woman." Abby complained.

"Thank you, Abby!" Fitz chimed in as a grin split his handsome face. "A Starbucks gift card, the top secret kind is coming your way."

"Done! You're both easy." Her laughter was the last thing Fitz and Olivia heard before she ended the call.

Olivia leaned down to peck her husband's lips and noticed his narrowed blue eyes looking up at her. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You told Abby I was easy? Really, Liv?"

"I never said that. I mean, you are but I never said that." She stood up and said, "I'm going to put on a little bit of make-up and then we are good to go."

"You're the easy one." He watched her stop dead in her tracks and turn to give him raised eyebrows.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me." She had just walked right into his set up but didn't know it. Fitz was feeling cocky.

"How am I easy?"

He acted like he was thinking it over, but the devious grin never left his face. "Where are we?"

Olivia knew better than to answer the question, even though she didn't quite yet know where this conversation was going. She shrugged. "What about it?"

"We'll forget the where question for now. A better one is why. Why are we here?"

Finally, understanding of where this conversation was heading came over her. Her husband was trying to say that she was easy because he had gotten her pregnant, with twins no less. She gave him a dramatic eye roll and said, "I hate you sometimes."

"No ya don't" he sang to her retreating back.

Fitz and Olivia pulled up in front of their house forty-five minutes later. Fitz scanned the yard but didn't see anything like what he had asked Abby to do. There was a banner with two cartoon babies on he front door that read TWINS ARE TWICE THE BLESSING. Figuring Abby was warm inside and sucking down all their coffee, he parked the car in the driveway.

Both babies were bundled up and covered completely with a thick blanket in the backseat of the car. Olivia was sitting between the twins and grabbed all of their stuff the hospital had given them while her husband quickly got the newborns out and made his way up the steps. He stamped his feet on the small mat outside as Olivia opened the door.

There were a dozen or so pink and blue balloons inside the house. Olivia quickly shook off her surprise and kicked them out of the way in order to clear a path for Fitz and the babies. Fitz set the car seats on the sofa and followed the scent of freshly brewed coffee into the kitchen. After making a cup for Olivia and himself, Fitz called out, "Abs?"

He heard Lincoln giggling somewhere nearby and his eyes were drawn to the direction it had come from. "I wonder where Link is?" He looked at Olivia with a wide grin and asked, "Mommy? Have you seen Link?"

"Mmm no. I was hoping he'd be here because I have some really big hugs and kisses for him."

Little feet quickly pounded the floor as Lincoln ran to his mother with Abby close behind him. "Mama" he said as he reached her.

Olivia bent down and scooped him up in her arms, peppering him with kisses and tight squeezes. "Hey mama's big boy. I missed you." Lincoln wrapped his arms around his mother's neck and laid his head on her shoulder as she held him. "Awww, you missed me too, huh baby?"

"Nope" Fitz said, snatching him out of his mother's arms and blowing raspberries on his belly. "Link missed his daddy. Didn't ya buddy?"

Lincoln laughed but reached his arms out to his mother.

"You don't want mommy." Fitz kissed his cheek and said, "I gotta show you something. Come m'ere." He carried Lincoln into the living room where aunt Abby was trying to unbuckle one of the babies from their car seat.

"How in the hell do you get the baby out of this thing? Could the car seat companies make it more difficult?" Abby complained.

Fitz looked at the redhead. "How many cups of coffee have you had?"

"One. Why?"

"Because you need to go down another cup or two. You're still crabby." Fitz chuckled. "Where's mom and dad anyways?"

"They went to get something for dinner so the two of you wouldn't have to worry with it tonight. Your mom said, and I quote, 'Fitzgerald had better be ready to hand those babies over to us as soon as we are back.' Your father said something along the lines of you not being too big to get your ass whipped if you didn't."

"I feel bad that they had to stay here with Link while we were at the hospital having the twins. They are definitely overdue some new baby cuddles. I suppose I could make sure the twins are fed and changed by the time mom and dad get back."

"I kinda wish you didn't. I would really like to see your dad do his worst to you." She grinned. "Although I'm more scared of your mother than your father. She would take you out and make it look like an accident."

"Go drink some coffee please." He turned his attention back to Lincoln and squatted in front of the sofa, pointing to the sleeping infant. "See, Link. Remember Carter? He's your brother."

Lincoln put his finger in his mouth and stared at the baby for a second before turning to look at his father silently.

Fitz side stepped so he and his son were in front of Katie. "And this is Katie. She's your sister."

Lincoln looked at his sleeping sister and cocked his head to the side before his face broke out in a smile. He pulled his finger from his mouth and reached it down and touched the baby's cheek. Katie startled awake and blinked her eyes rapidly a few times before looking up at Lincoln. He looked at his father and grinned.

His daddy grinned back at him. "Let's hope they stay this quiet until they go to college." Katie started whining after a few minutes and Fitz called out, "Liv? I think my princess is hungry." When Fitz got no answer from his wife he called out, "Liv?"

Olivia came into the living room at a leisurely pace and said, "You aren't helpless you know? You can feed her a bottle just as well as I can. In fact, it's why we are bottle feeding instead of nursing. Remember?"

"Hello? I'm holding Link."

"Hello? Put him down so someone else can love on him. Like me. You're turning into a baby hog and it's not a pretty look." She reached her opened arms to her oldest son and he launched himself into them with a big drooling smile. "Hi, you." Looking back at Fitz she said, "Problem solved."

"I hate you sometimes." He said with a sour look.

"No ya don't" she sang to him.

Fitz took Katie out of her car seat and immediately turned into a smiling puddle of goo. "What's the matter with daddy's princess angel baby?" Her whining had turned to a full on wail at this point. He kissed her chubby little cheek and laid her on the sofa. "Let's check your diaper and see if there are any surprises in there?"

Her diaper was just wet, and Fitz cooed all kinds of encouragement to his daughter. He carried her into the kitchen and pulled one of the bottles the hospital had provided out of her diaper bag. Once it was assembled, he held her easily in the crook of his right arm and slid the bottle between her gums. The wailing stopped, and Fitz caught Lincoln watching his sister drink the formula from his perch on his mother's hip. Fitz brought Katie closer to Lincoln for a better look.

Whimpers could be heard from Carter, and Abby quickly put her coffee cup down and grinned as she darted to get him. Fitz told Olivia, "you'd better go help her get him out of the car seat. She doesn't know how to do it."

Fitz followed his wife into the living room and sat down in the big recliner, still feeding Katie. Lincoln had been watching his mother and aunt Abby free his brother from the little chair he was sitting in until he noticed his father. He walked over to his dad and climbed up into his lap with his eyes on his sister. "S'that?" Lincoln asked.

Fitz took the bottle out of his daughter's mouth and put her up on his shoulder. "That is a bottle. It's how the babies eat. Can you hold it for daddy for a minute please?"

Lincoln took the tiny bottle out of his father's hand and looked at it before turning his blue eyes back to the newborn. He watched his daddy hitting his sister's back and wondered why he was doing it. When he heard the big noise come out of her Lincoln's eyes grew wide, making his father laugh.

Katie was put back into the crook of Fitz's arm and the wailing started back up. Lincoln looked at his daddy and then at the bottle. "Do you want to feed Katie, buddy? Can you put the bottle into her mouth, so she can get a drink?"

Lincoln looked at the bottle and his sister's open mouth. With Fitz's help, Lincoln easily put the bottle into her mouth and watched her drink it. Katie was looking at Lincoln and Lincoln was looking right back at her.

"Good job, Link. You're feeding your sister. Just like a big boy." Fitz told him.

"Ohmygod! I don't remember Lincoln being this little and squishy." Abby said with Carter in her arms.

"That's because Lincoln was never that little." Olivia chuckled. "But he's still squishy, huh little man?"

Lincoln heard his mother talking about him, but his eyes never left Katies. When it was time for her to be burped again, Fitz handed Lincoln the bottle and put her back up on his shoulder. It seemed that Katie was looking at Lincoln from her father's shoulder too. The big brother reached his hand up to touch hers and she grabbed onto it. He grinned at his father.

"Okay, let's get this little man fed. Yea, I bet you're starving huh big guy?" Abby asked Carter. She put the bottle into his mouth and watched him half heartedly drink from it. "Liv? Why isn't mini munchkin drinking his bottle good?"

Olivia sat down on the sofa beside her friend and said, "I don't know. He did that in the hospital too. Katie eats like she's constantly starving, but Carter acts like he isn't interested after a minute."

"Lincoln?" Abby said excitedly. "Do you want to come and help aunt Abby feed Carter now?"

Lincoln looked at his sister and smiled before quickly getting down from the chair and walking to the sofa and climbing up beside Abby. He leaned over her lap and looked at this small baby. Two blue squinty eyes looked up at him and blinked a few times before opening fully and locking onto Lincoln's blue ones. Lincoln reached for the bottle and held onto it while Carter drank and stared at him.

"Liv?" Abby said.

"Hmmm?" Olivia absently asked as she took a sip from her coffee cup.

"It's the weirdest thing, but Carter is drinking his bottle a lot better with short stuff holding onto it." Abby looked from Lincoln to Carter, both boys seemed to be locked in a staring contest as the smaller Grant male drank his formula.

"Awww, look. He is drinking it better." Olivia noted with a smile.

"Really?" Fitz asked, from his spot on the chair.

"I wonder what that means?" Abby asked.

"I think it means the brothers are finally bonding." Olivia wiped her eyes that were starting to mist up at the sight of her sons together.

Lincoln looked up at his mother's brown eyes and smiled. Everything made mommy cry.


	40. Party of Five

Party of Five

It had been two weeks since all five Grants had been home together from the hospital and life had been pretty chaotic at first. Dealing with three children under the age of fourteen months old was a little more challenging than Olivia and Fitz had originally thought. The twins slept most of the time, which was great, but Lincoln constantly wanted to look at them or touch them or feed them. It was adorable the first few times he attempted to wake them up, so he could "help" with them. After that, Olivia quickly learned to keep him distracted with toys or books or helping her do simple chores like pulling clothes out of the dryer.

It seemed like every time they got more than one child settled, one of their friends or family members would show up for a visit. Everyone wanted to see the new additions to the family and they always brought gifts that had been for the baby shower Olivia never had because she went in labor early. And they brought food with them. Lots and lots of food.

Abby and Stephen brought take out – because neither one of them knew how to cook. Yvonne and Jason brought homemade meatloaf and mashed potatoes that were out of this world. Olivia had asked her for the recipe, but Yvonne wasn't giving it up. Rob brought a couple of beautifully grilled steaks, good ones too with baked potatoes. Charlie and Quinn brought some kind of pasta dish that tasted heavenly. And of course, the grandparents constantly brought groceries into the house and prepared dinner almost every night. The food was really piling up. None of them had gone hungry and the help was eager and plentiful.

One of the sweetest things Olivia remembered from their homecoming was Nathaniel holding Katie. He had never gotten the opportunity at the hospital to hold her, so the second he and Lila walked through the door, he quickly dashed toward the tiny bundle of pink cuteness. Fitz looked up at the expectant grandfather and smiled at him. "I suppose if I have to give her up to someone, I'm glad it's you. Don't try to walk out the door with her though. She's daddy's girl. Isn't that right Katie bug?"

Nathaniel shot his son in law a look. "As if I would steal my granddaughter."

Fitz shot Nathaniel a look right back. "I've been warned about you and your ways with the females in this family."

"Well, as the man who took my only daughter, you're one to talk."

"Do you want her back?" Fitz teased as he paused before passing the sleeping bundle to his father in law. "Just so you know, the kids would stay with me. You'd only be getting Liv."

Nathaniel grinned. "There is no way to answer that question without sounding like a bad father, so I will politely decline to do so."

"What are the two of you talking about over here?" Olivia chirped. She sat on her husband's lap and watched her father flounder for an answer.

"Man stuff. Carburetors and gas mileage and horse power. Nothing you'd be interested in." Fitz wrapped his arms around her and help her close as Nathaniel chuckled.

"Really? Cause mom said the two of you were over here acting foolish over my daughter." She turned to look at Fitz and added, "Who would go with me should I choose to leave."

"You're not allowed to go anywhere without me, babe. I'd be lost without you." Fitz replied. He watched his wife's eyes begin to mist over and knew he had hit her in the post pregnancy feels.

Olivia gave it three seconds before she straightened her face and said, "you're damn right you would be. Never forget it." She smiled happily and enjoyed watching her husband's eyes go wide with surprise. "Who wants cake? Fitz? Come help me."

Nathaniel settled on the sofa and smiled at his granddaughter. "Your daddy married the smartest woman on earth."

Fitz reluctantly stood up and told his father in law. "I'm watching you."

He watched his son in law follow his daughter into the kitchen to help serve cake and listen to a good talking to, along with a few stolen kisses probably. He looked down at his sleeping granddaughter and was again in awe at how tiny she was. Even Lincoln hadn't been this small when he was born. And Carter, though he was a slow eater, was still bigger than his twin sister. He absently rubbed Katie's tightly wound head of curls and realized that she looked exactly like her mother in the face. She had some attributes of her father as well, but this little girl looked more like Olivia than she did Fitz and somehow that made her even more dear to his heart. Nathaniel could easily picture bringing Olivia home from the hospital years ago when he looked at his granddaughter. "Katherine, you are going to be an amazing young lady when you're older.

A few days after they were brought home from the hospital, the twins had to be taken to their pediatrician and that had turned out to be an adventure in itself. Carter cried the entire car ride to the doctor's office and nothing his mother said or did calmed him down. As soon as Fitz safely pulled into a parking space and stopped the car, Olivia started unbuckling Carter from his car seat to console him only to notice that he had fallen blissfully asleep.

"He's finally quiet. Wha'd you do?" Fitz asked in a surprised tone.

"He just...fell asleep on his own."

"Probably cried himself to sleep." Fitz commented from the front seat.

Olivia started to cry from her spot between the babies in the backseat. "Don't say that." She blubbered. "It makes me feel like a bad mother."

"Liv, don't cry. I didn't mean it like that. There's nothing you could have done for him while we were on the road. He's fine. Just a tired little boy. From the sounds of it, Katie loves to ride in the car. She is so much like Link it's unreal to me. Is she still asleep back there?"

Olivia sniffed. "Yea. At least they are both asleep now. Maybe this visit won't be too long, and we can get them home soon and all take a nap together?" Fitz grabbed the handle of Katie's car seat and started pulling it out of the car. "Fitz! You've got to cover her face up with the blanket or the sun will blind her."

"It's not gonna blind her, Liv." Fitz chuckled. "Besides, her body is covered up. She'll be warm enough." As soon as the sunlight hit her face, Katie crinkled her tiny nose and began to wail loudly. "Shit. Sorry princess. I guess daddy should have covered up your face too, huh?"

Olivia closed her eyes and shook her head as Fitz quickly shielded her eyes from the bright sun, grabbed the diaper bag, and looped it on his shoulder. She carefully covered Carter's entire body with his blue blanket and crawled out of the car with him and his carrier in tow.

Olivia had no sooner written down their names, when Carter woke back up and had a blow out in his diaper. Fitz took him and the diaper bag into the bathroom to get him cleaned up while Olivia wondered why they even had to come to the doctor's office this soon after being born anyways.

Both babies were measured and weighed and looked over from head to toe. Fitz and Olivia were told the twins were doing great and to keep doing what they were doing. They were asked if they had any questions, and neither parent had any. An appointment was scheduled at the twins two month mark for immunizations and the four of them went back home, happy to have that out of the way.

Olivia was headed to Lincoln's room to get him up from his nap when she heard Fitz's voice in the nursery. "Awww, I'm so proud of you, princess."

She stood partially hidden and wondered what was going on now? Fitz was stooped over their daughter's crib and appeared to be changing her diaper.

"That thing is nasty, and we are glad to see it gone, aren't we? Yes, we are!" He was grinning at Katie and once he had her clothes back on he held her up, kissed her cheek, and carried her to the rocking chair where he continued to talk to her in his soothing baritone.

Fitz loved and cared for all of his children, but he was long gone over his daughter. It was the cutest thing to witness. Until it got nauseating. Still, Olivia silently watched them from the doorway.

"You're the biggest girl in the world, aren't you? Can you say dada?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. It just got nauseating. "What great thing has mini me done now?"

Fitz turned his head to the door and grinned proudly. "Katie's gross belly button thing fell off."

"Really? Awwww." Olivia came into the nursery and squatted down in front of the rocker. She too, leaned down and kissed their daughter on the cheek. "That is big girl stuff. Now you can take real baths instead of the sponge kind while you scream your head off."

"She doesn't like to be naked. Do you angel? It's a big day. Let's focus on that." Fitz told his wife.

Olivia stood up and headed for the door. She stopped and turned back to him, saying, "You're aware that Carter lost his umbilical cord two days ago. Your angel is a late bloomer." She chuckled at his frown and went to get Lincoln.

"Don't listen to your mother, Katie. She's an overachiever."

"I heard that." Olivia called out from the hall.

"I hope so. I said it loud enough." Fitz called back with a grin. Focusing his attention on his daughter once again, Fitz added, "There's nothing wrong with being a late bloomer. Now, let's go get your brother and go downstairs while daddy cooks dinner."

Once their friends and family had finally gotten their fill of visiting and loving on the Grant children, Olivia quickly got all three of her children on a strict schedule and was determined to keep them on it. She got in touch with each of their eager to help friends and family members and discussed with them the schedule she had made while she was pregnant. A few changes had to be made to accommodate everyone, but mostly everyone fell in line and pitched in to help.

The two mothers came by every morning without fail to do whatever was necessary. Feeding a baby, washing dishes, doing laundry, cooking meals, playing with Lincoln. It was all a joy to both of them to spend time with their grandchildren together and be of help. Sometimes Emma brought Sophie with her and Olivia wondered why she would bring another child into the house to be watched. But it turned out that Sophie and Lincoln kept each other entertained for long periods of time and were basically on the same nap schedule. It worked out beautifully for everyone involved.

One afternoon after both mothers had gone home, Olivia decided that she would try her hand at taking pictures of her children together. The twins slept most of the time and Lincoln was a good listener. It could be fun? And really cute if it went well. While the kids took a nap, she gathered some things to use as props and brought them downstairs into the living room and waited for the kids to wake up.

Lincoln woke up first, as was his habit. Olivia went upstairs to get him as the twins slept together in a bassinet downstairs. He was standing up and babbling in his crib. He wasn't crying and that was a good sign. Crying meant a grumpy boy and that wouldn't work for what she had in mind. As Olivia changed his diaper she asked, "Did you have a good nap little man?"

Lincoln loved it when his mother talked to him. He told her all about his dream of chasing a big red ball in the park as his daddy watched him.

"Okay, I heard dada in there somewhere. Did you have a dream about your daddy?" She asked him excitedly.

Lincoln stopped talking and looked up at her. He smiled at her and reached his arms for her to pick him up. When she complied and snuggled with him for a minute or two in the rocking chair, he told her the rest of it. Of course daddy was in his dream. And a big read ball. But the little peoples weren't there with them. It was so quiet. And fun. But, Lincoln explained that he missed the little peoples and woke up looking for them.

He laid his head on her shoulder and played with her hair like he had seen daddy do before. "Would my little man like to go get a snack now?"

Lincoln jerked his head up fast and looked his mother in the eye. Did she just ask him if he wanted something to eat? Yes, please he said as she watched him and smiled.

"I think that was a yes?" Olivia said, standing up and bringing him down the steps.

They peeked at the still napping babies and Lincoln smiled at them. He loved his little peoples, but man did they sleep a lot! They never stayed awake long enough to play with the toys. Lincoln wondered if he could sneak a toy or two into their small bed without mommy seeing him do it? Maybe he'd try later on?

For now, she gave him some apple chunks with the peeling cut off. Lincoln sat at his high chair and happily munched on one of his favorite snacks while his mommy snuck one every so often and made him giggle. She was his favoritest mommy ever.

Once Lincoln had eaten the equivalent of an entire apple, Olivia wiped his hands and mouth and put his high chair tray into the sink to be cleaned later on. She wanted to get started on the pictures while Lincoln was in a good mood from a full belly. She put his BIG BROTHER shirt on him and tamed his wild curls as best she could. He smiled up at her from his perch on the bathroom counter and looked exactly like Fitz as he did it. Olivia knew she would have a hard time keeping the girls away when he was much older. She picked Lincoln up and held him close and decided that was a worry that could be ignored for a whole lotta years. None of her babies were allowed to date until they were at least thirty.

She spread out a white fuzzy blanket on the floor and while Lincoln walked all over it in his sock covered feet, she swaddled each baby in different colored blankets. Once that was done Olivia put a blue knitted hat on Carter's head and a lace headband on Katie's. Neither infant woke up and the mom of three breathed a sigh of relief. They weren't due to wake up for another thirty minutes or so and she planned to take advantage of their slumber with pictures as long as she could.

She laid Lincoln down on the center of the blanket. He looked up at her and waited for his diaper to be changed. When his mother didn't attempt to do so, he asked her what they were doing in his baby babble. "Momma is going to take some pictures of you and Carter and Katie. Okay? Can you lay down for me for a few minutes, so I can take your picture with the babies?"

Lincoln stared at her. He knew what pictures were, but he wasn't so sure about laying down on the floor with the little peoples. If they started crying he was getting up fast.

Olivia knew this wasn't going to last long and began placing her children where she wanted them. She showed Lincoln how to hold his arms out and nestled a sleeping newborn in the crook of each arm. He looked happy as could be and his smile was a big proud one. "Can you hug the babies, Lincoln while momma takes your picture?"

She stood up and looked down over her beautiful children. Lincoln was still smiling, and the twins were still asleep, so she began snapping photos. "Good job, buddy! Just like that!"

At one point, Lincoln turned to Carter and kissed his head and Olivia caught the moment. Her eyes teared up that her big boy thought to kiss his little brother all by himself, unprovoked or asked, but she shook it off. "Can you kiss Katie too, Lincoln?"

Lincoln looked over at the other little people. She was an even littler people than the other one. She cried more than the other one too. But this little people was different somehow and Lincoln didn't know why. He felt the need to be around her and make sure she was alright more than the other little people. He didn't love her more than the other one, it was just different. He happily kissed her on her soft cheek and nuzzled the side of her head. Lincoln heard the camera clicking noise, but he was in his own little world right now. He was oblivious to his mother's happy tears.

After taking a few dozen of Lincoln loving on his younger siblings together and one on one, Olivia decided to be daring. She unwrapped Carter, took off his diaper, prayed that he would stay asleep and put one of Fitz's ties around his neck. She carefully covered his center with the tie where it pooled at his feet. Carter, in true Grant man fashion, and completely comfortable with his nakedness, stretched lazily and put his hands up beside his head and yawned. Olivia giggled quietly and took a picture. In truth, the moment reminded her of coming home from her wedding when Fitz pulled her from the car and practically dragged her half naked highly eager self up the stairs. It caused her to giggle some more which caused Carter to shift in his sleep.

Not wanting him to wake up quite yet but knowing he and his sister would be yelling for a bottle soon, she set a blue blanket inside a wicker basket and put Carter on his belly inside of it and covered his lower half with the edge of it. He was so damn cute, Olivia grinned and took several pictures of him.

Lincoln, who had been watching his other little people sleep while mommy took pictures, was getting bored, and left her on her own to go get inside the basket with the other baby.

"Lincoln! Wait a minute, baby." Olivia said. She watched him pick up one small sock covered foot and began to step into the basket. Carter never moved as his brother maneuvered himself behind him and laid down beside him and draped his arm around his younger brother as his long legs hung over the end of the basket. Olivia took photos of the entire thing. "Awww. You're such a good big brother, Lincoln."

Among the shower gifts, someone had given a knitted bakers hat to Carter and Olivia put it on him and set him inside one of her larger mixing bowls. She set a wooden spoon in front of the bowl along with a wooden rolling pin she had no idea she even owned. Carter continued to sleep as his mother took picture after picture of him. Fitz would love these.

She started feeling the pressure to finish up, and wrapped Carter back up in his blanket after removing his props and put him in the bassinet. She tried to keep Lincoln entertained so that he wouldn't go wake up his brother or take him unwanted toys by asking him to pass her the pink blanket and pointing to it. He grinned at her and brought it to her happily. Olivia repeated the process of the wicker basket with Katie and Lincoln got inside it just as he had done with Carter. And it was just as adorable as when he had done it the first time.

Whoever had crocheted the bakers hat for Carter had knitted Katie a tiny pink crown attached to a headband. As Olivia sat on the floor, she carefully pulled Katie's outfit off and put the headband on her daughter. She got Katie settled on her belly on the white blanket, draping the pink blanket on her lower half and Olivia laid on her belly in front of her daughter and began taking pictures. Lincoln got on his mother's back and played with her hair as she took them. After the third photo, Katie opened her eyes and looked at her mother.

"Hi, baby girl." Olivia smiled at her. "What is momma doing to you?" A small smile crossed Katie's face and Olivia caught the moment proudly. "Are you ready for a bottle or can I take some more pictures of you and your brothers?"

Lincoln heard his name and got off of his mother, eager to know what would happen next.

Olivia pointed at the recliner and said, "Lincoln, can you go sit on the big chair and momma will bring Carter and Katie to sit with you?" When he ran off and made his way up into the chair, she picked Katie up and put the plain headband on her along with her outfit. When she was dressed and still not stressing out about food, Olivia placed her beside Lincoln on the recliner. Then she went to get Carter dressed and put his blue hat back on him, with her eyes glued on Lincoln and Katie - just in case.

When he was good to go and still out like a light, Olivia put him on the other side of Lincoln and put his arms around both of them and showed him how to hold them tight enough, so they wouldn't fall but not hard enough to hurt them. As soon as the three of them were settled, Carter's eyes popped open and Olivia froze from her spot on the ottoman at the end of the chair. He opened his mouth and she just knew he was going to start crying for food. Another trait typical of Grant men.

Instead, he yawned, and Lincoln looked down at him, patted his head gently, and said, "hi beebee."

The waterworks started again as a proud giggle tumbled from Olivia's mouth. "Hi, Carter. I know you and your sister want to eat soon, but mommy needs a few more pictures of my three beautiful angels. Can you wait one more minute for me please?"

Carter gave his mother the same smile his twin had given her a moment ago.

Olivia grinned at the three of them and leaned over and gave each of them a kiss before sitting up and finishing up their photo shoot. Carter started whimpering approximately ninety seconds later and Olivia knew it was time to end the fun for the day.

Lincoln put his hands over his ears, knowing the full on wails were on the way.

"Ohhhh kay. Let's feed some babies. Right, Lincoln?" She picked up Carter and then Katie, holding them in her arms and made her way into the kitchen to warm up two bottles as Lincoln scampered behind her.

Just then, Fitz walked in the door from work. He picked Lincoln up and kissed his cheek. "Link! How was your day, buddy?" Fitz flipped his son upside down and held him by his feet as Lincoln giggled and wiggled. After a minute, Fitz brought his son back up in his arms and grinned at him as he put Lincoln on his hip. He looked over at Olivia and noticed the crying twins. He took Carter out of his mother's arms and asked her, "How was your day, babe?"

She kissed his cheek. "It was really good. They just started wanting to be fed. Can you take Carter and Lincoln into the living room? I'll be in there in just a sec with bottles."

"And kisses!" Fitz said. "Grant men need lotsa kisses, huh guys?" His eyes landed on the pile of baby items. He picked up the crocheted chef's hat. "Baaaabe? What's all this crap on the floor?"

"What?" She called from the kitchen? Shit! In her haste to get bottles, Olivia had forgotten to pick everything up. Oh well. She'd roll with it.

She brought Katie and the bottles into the living room and found Lincoln wearing the pink crown and Carter wearing the baseball cap that belongs to Lincoln and wasn't even used today. She looked at her three crazy guys and smiled instead of rolling her eyes. They were adorable in every way and definitely kept things interesting. Life was good.

 **I have decided to fast forward some over these last remaining 14 chapters. The baby years are cute, but I want to see what life will be like for the Grants when their kids start kindergarten, and play sports, and are in high school, and go to prom and the dating! I hope you're all going to hang out with me as we explore these things.**


	41. What A Year

What A Year

Fitz had been consoling Olivia all week and was trying to keep his sanity while doing so. She had cried at random times between giving herself pep talks that growing up was a good thing. He didn't really think she believed herself though. He had come home and found her crying while folding laundry as she held onto tiny little clothes that the twins could no longer wear. She cried when Lincoln outgrew the need for diapers and pull ups and was completely potty trained and wearing big boy underwear. She cried on his shoulder in bed as she laid in her happy place, because they had finally reached the blissful time when all of the kids slept through the night. Their children were growing up, but that wasn't the issue. The twins would turn one tomorrow and in Olivia's eyes they were no longer her babies.

He wondered about her thinking that the twins turning one meant saying goodbye to the baby years when on Lincoln's first birthday she had informed her husband that her baby wasn't allowed to be a man. He chuckled at the memory and held her tight as they lay together in bed as no one cried to be changed or fed or talked to or rocked. It was too quiet. Okay, maybe he was feeling a little sad about it all too.

They had gotten over the hump of the first year, and what a crazy first year it had been. Sooo many diapers and bottles and clothes! And even though Fitz knew they were still a long way from the twins being out of the baby phase, he was glad the first year was behind them. He enjoyed all three of his children and loved to help take care of them and play with them, but he was looking forward to seeing more of their little personalities come out now that they were becoming more mobile.

Carter was a lazy little thing, but also the most relaxed kid Fitz had ever known. He was up for pretty much anything and was generally always happy. He loved baths, toys, his bed, and his siblings. The only time he was mad as hell was when he was hungry. And then it was goodbye passive boy! No one and nothing would do until a bottle or food laden spoon were in his mouth. And then when he was finally being fed, Carter played with it more than he did eat. He wasn't interested in walking at all but was completely content with crawling to get around. He had four shiny white teeth and tried them out a few times on his older brother. He could say 'mama' and 'bye' but would giggle every time Fitz tried to get him to say 'dada' and pushed his father's face away.

Katie was the complete opposite. She wasn't a fan of car rides, or baths, or any change in her schedule at all. When it was nap time she would get laid down in her princess crib and go right to sleep by herself. She was interested in feeding herself and she was on the move pretty early on. She wasn't walking yet either, but instead of crawling Katie would walk on her knees. It drove Olivia crazy trying to keep her clothes clean, but Fitz loved her creative thinking. She had three teeth but the fourth one was trying to come through. She could say 'dada' 'mama' 'bye' and 'ink'; which is what she called Lincoln.

Lincoln had just recently turned two and he was all over the place all the time. He loved to dress himself but hated shoes. He vocabulary was huge now. He could say just about anything at any time and he always did. Sometimes it was funny and other times it was embarrassing. He still loved his nightly baths, still loved to eat, and he adored the twins. He encouraged them to walk and tried showing them how on numerous occasions. Watching him interact with his younger siblings gave Fitz hours of entertainment sometimes.

Fitz was brought back to reality as his wife sniffled from her spot on his chest. He rubbed her back and asked, "Are you getting snot on me?"

Olivia giggled amid the tears and said, "probably. Sorry about that." She reached over his body to the box of tissues on their nightstand and wiped his skin. "It's so weird not having to get up in the middle of the night to take care of anybody."

He held her tighter and pushed her hair from her face. "That's not entirely true, babe."

Olivia looked down at her crazy husband and smiled. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm awake in the middle of the night, and I could use some taking care of." He slid his hands down his wife's back until they rested on her ass.

"You do?" She asked coyly.

"MmmmHmmm." He lifted his head from the pillow and nipped at her bottom lip. "I think it would make you feel better too." One of his hands lazily traveled up her spine until it reached the back of her neck. He suddenly pushed forward, holding onto her until she was sitting in his lap with her legs behind him. "I know it would make me feel better."

She grinned as she held him tight and grinded her center onto his. "I do my best work in the middle of the night."

"That's what I've heard." He replied with a chuckle.

Olivia grabbed a handful of the growing curls at the back of his neck and tugged firmly on them. "Well then, let me make you feel better."

Fitz grabbed a handful of her hair and smiled in the dark. "Come to daddy."

The two of them giggled as Fitz lifted her t-shirt over her head and threw it on the floor. Olivia arched her back as Fitz dipped his head and anxiously pulled one of her stiff nipples into his mouth and began sucking hard. He could feel her fingernails biting into the skin on his back and it drove him to continue pleasing her. He released the stiff bud and quickly made his way to the other one lavishing the same eager attention on it, making Olivia claw at his back.

When he couldn't wait another second, Fitz laid her down gently and kissed his way down her flattened belly until he reached her core. Olivia's hands went to his hair and she once again gripped it firmly and forced his face down until she felt his warm breath right where she wanted it. Instead, Fitz turned his head and slowly licked the inside of her thigh. And then the other one. He knew she was getting pissed off from her frustrated sounds, but he kept at it in spite of them.

Olivia knew her husband was messing with her. The problem was it wasn't funny at the moment. She was anxious for him to use his gifted mouth on her and bring a delirious release to her body. But he was playin. Well, two could play that game, she decided. Olivia squeezed her thighs tightly on each side of his ears and rolled them over. She looked down at him and said, "Now. Stop fucking around and do your job."

He reached up and put a hand on each of her inner thighs and pulled her legs open. "Yes ma'am" he said before writing DADDY on her bundle of nerves. That seemed to do the trick because Olivia started writhing and breathing heavy and chanting the word yes over and over. Just before she exploded, Olivia grabbed a pillow off their bed and tried to stifle her scream by covering her mouth with it. As she slid bonelessly back onto their bed, Olivia rolled onto her side and pulled the blanket up over herself.

The blanket was quickly jerked off of her cooling skin and Fitz asked, "And just what do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going to sleep. I'm exhausted, Fitz. The kids will be up in four hours." She whined. She was faking it and they both knew it.

"I don't care if they'll be up in twenty minutes. You asked me to do my job and I'm nowhere near done with you yet, Mrs. Grant. So, get your perfect post pregnancy ass over here and let me finish my work."

Olivia smiled into the darkness. "You're so easy."

"Actually, I'm pretty damn hard. Feel for yourself." He grabbed her hand and brought it down to his erection. She began stroking him slowly and kissing his chest. The tiny curls tickled against her nose but didn't cause her to stop her own work. Damn he felt good. She made a lazy trail down his chest, swiping her tongue over his taut and fuzzy abs. She smiled when she felt his hand gently pushing her head further south and nibbled on the skin just above his bellybutton. "Ow! Stop fucking around and do your job." He teased.

Her hand moved faster up and down his smooth hard skin as Olivia shifted her body closer to his and without warning, or fucking around, took him into her mouth. He groaned loudly, and she felt his hips start to keep time with her mouth.

"Mmmmm, feels so good, babe." Fitz panted out. He let her work her magic for another minute before pulling her up to face him.

"What did you make me stop for?" She whined.

"Like I said earlier, I'm not done with you yet." He put his hands on her hips and rolled her little body underneath his before he wordlessly slid inside of her. Both of them groaned together at the tight fit and delicious feel of their intimate joining. "And this is just amazing. God, I love my job."

"Don't make jokes right now. I'm having such a good moment." Olivia said biting her lip and sighing into his chest. She wrapped her legs around his waist and locked her ankles together.

"You are, are you?" He teased. "Give me a nipple so I can have a good moment of my own." She huffed loudly and dramatically, bringing an arm up over her head to give him easier access. "Don't act like you don't like it." He kissed her on the mouth instead and slid his tongue inside as he pushed his long length inside of her wet heat. He pulled away from her mouth and latched onto her nipple, sucking vigorously. Olivia arched her back and brought him closer. He released it with a grin and said, "That's my little nympho who loves every little thing I do to her body."

Deciding that Fitz could use some more teasing, she groaned and said, "Are you done yet?"

He stilled his movements and said, "What did you just say to me?" He tickled her sides and as she giggled, Fitz said, "Apologize to the Lord Commander of Orgasms."

"Ohmygod! I'm absolutely NOT saying that!" She giggled.

"Say it!" He said in a louder voice.

"If you wake up the kids so help me god, I will kick your ass and you will be lucky to see a nipple for six months." She threatened.

"Babe? Would you really do that?" He sounded wounded and as much as she tried to hold back, Olivia couldn't contain the giggle that erupted from her lips. "You little liar!" He exclaimed and went back to tickling her.

"Shhhhhh" she chided in the midst of her laughter. "Can you please go back to work now?"

"I'm not so sure you deserve the Lord Commanders amazing skills." He replied.

"Move your hips now or I will tie you up to this bed and..."

"Heyyyyy. Now we're talking!" Fitz said grinning.

"I hate you sometimes."

"It kinda sounds like you like me a whole lot." He dipped his head and kissed his wife. "You wanna tie me up? I could be into that." Olivia wiggled to get out from underneath him as he laughed and held her in place. "Don't be mad, Liv. It was your suggestion. I was just being a willing participant. If it came to that. You wanna try it? Tying me up?"

"Well, I...I don't know. Do you want me to?" She asked.

"Not tonight. I'm in the middle of a thing right now." He moved in and out of her as he spoke with a grin on his face. "Maybe some other time. Unless you're not into it. And that's okay too."

"It's something to think about another time. NOW can you please finish the job you're currently in the middle of?" She clenched around him, effectively bringing his attention back to the moment.

"Ohhh, I think I can handle that." Fitz became a man possessed and began drilling into her repeatedly and swiftly. She writhed and clawed his skin and moaned his name as she grew closer and closer to her release. He panted and grunted as his hips went into overdrive. "Come on, babe. We're...mmmm...almost there. Come with me." He reached a hand down and began to massage her most sensitive place. She came undone in a matter of seconds, screaming, but Fitz kissed her to absorb it and keep her from waking up their kids. Damn she was a loud little nympho.

The next morning, Olivia seemed a lot more relaxed and Fitz mentally patted himself on the back for it. She told him she was leaving him at home with the kids so she could go to the bakery and get the twins' smash cakes as well as the big cake for everyone who came to the party. As she walked out the door she witnessed her husband excitedly call out, "Pig pile on Link!" The twins must have known what that meant, because they made their way to their big brother with loud shrieks and fits of laughter. Fitz playfully put them on Lincoln's arm or leg as the older boy giggled and hugged them. Her family was precious. Crazy but precious.

Olivia figured since it was the last of the first birthday parties, the twins could have duck cakes too. Next year, her little ducklings could have whatever kind of cake they requested. That thought alone almost brought about another crying spell at the bakery, but she held it together and decided to enjoy the day instead of going through it looking back and being sad over what had already happened. She thanked Charlotte for another phenomenal job well done and headed for home.

The same family and friends who came to their house for Lincoln's first birthday a little over a year ago were back at their house to celebrate the twins turning one. The food was great, the cake was beautiful, and the gifts were plentiful. Her family really was blessed to be surrounded by wonderful people who loved them all.

"Who is having a birthday today?" A loud voice said from the door.

"Liv! I told you to lock the door earlier. Why didn't you listen to me?" Fitz asked.

"Shut up, dipsh...stick." Thad rolled his eyes before Robin nudged him in the ribs.

"Unka Sad!" I yelled and ran over to where he was.

"Link! God, you're getting huge. Let me feel your muscles." He gripped my arm and nodded saying, "impressive. I bet you can beat up your old man now, huh? You're heavy. You gotta get down now ya Hulk."

He set me on the floor which was fine with me because I really wanted to see the girls the mostest. "Adybugs!" I screamed.

"Lincoln! Awww, you're such a big boy now." Elizabeth says.

"You're talking so good." Megan says.

"No more pull ups. Good boy!" Sophie says.

Carter crawled over to us and gave the girls a smile. They immediately forgot all about me. "Awwwwwww! Look at Carter!" They cooed. Elizabeth picked him up and kissed his cheek. "Happy birthday, Carter."

Okay, time to find someone else to charm. They'll get bored with Carter soon anyways.

"Lincoln! How is Mimi's big smart boy today?"

Bingo! "Mimi!" I run into her open arms and she hugs me tight. I see her all the time, but she always talks to me and gives me hugs and kisses. I touch her necklace with a smile and she takes it off and hands it to me. Now I have treasure! I walk away from her to show it to someone.

Lincoln helped his brother and sister open their gifts, which was fine with both of them because they were much more interested in playing with the paper than the actual toys underneath. "Wook! A car!" He said to his brother. Carter had stared at it for a moment before stuffing the blue paper into his mouth before his mother caught him.

"Carter Fitzgerald! No, Sir. We do not eat paper little man." Mommy had said.

The youngest male Grant looked up at his mother and listened to her words. There was no reason to cry about it. He'd simply attempt it later on when she was side tracked with something else. Instead, he smiled at her. She always melted when he smiled at her.

"It's a good thing you're adorable." She said picking him up, holding him close, and rubbing noses with him. Of the three of them, Carter was the most like his father and Olivia knew she would have to keep both eyes on this little boy of hers.

I learned how to make my mother stop being mad with drooling smiles. My sister on the other hand, would always pitch a fit if she didn't get her own way. It drove mommy crazy. I had also watched my older brother grab mommy's cheeks and pull her in for a kiss and I've done it a few times. Mommy loved it when I did that too. Sometimes it made her cry, which I didn't understand, but at least she wasn't mad at me anymore when I did it. Giving her kisses had saved me from getting into trouble each time. In my mind, Lincoln was a genius.

Daddy was a little different. He didn't fall for the cutesy things. He called me Carteroni. I don't know where that came from, but it's what he said when he saw me. He made funny noises on my belly with his mouth and lifted me high as the sky. He always tickled me and made me laugh, and he played with us every day. My daddy is awfully fun, but my mommy is the bestest person I ever knew.

There was Carter acting like an angel again to mommy. If she only knew how much of an angel he really wasn't, she wouldn't be smiling at him like that. But boys always get away with everything. Unless you're a girl and daddy is around. Daddy is my favoritest person most of the time. He calls me his only princess. He told me that I can never date boys, whatever that means, and that I can live with him and mommy forever. Why would I ever want to leave them?

I wanted cake and mommy wouldn't let me touch it so naturally I started crying. Daddy came and picked me up. "What's the matter with my girl?" He asked with his best smile.

I looked up at him and touched his hair that was curly like mine before laying my head on his shoulder, so he could pat my back like he always did. It made me feel better.

"Princesses don't cry. Especially on their birthday. Can you smile for daddy please?" He asked as he began patting my back.

He always knows how to make me feel happy. I gave him a smile and he wiped my eyes and gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek before he blew a funny noise on the other one, making me laugh. Daddy is perfect and I am always gonna live with him and mommy. Forever.

The twins had mommy and daddy busy, so I walked into the kitchen to look for cake. I was the only one of us who could walk on feets. I pulled the refrigerator open and found the little boxes that were the same size as the one my cake was in on my last birthday. It had to be where the baby ducks were! I got up on my tiptoes and reached my hands up to take one of the boxes...when big hands picked me up and shut the door. I turned around to see my aunt Abby. "You trying to get into the cake, Munchkin?"

I grinned at her. Her big belly was gone now, and she could hold me close. "Cake." I said with a smile and pointed to the fridge.

"Yea, normally I would agree with you on getting cake. But today is a special day so we have to wait, okay?"

Was she really telling me no here? I waited for the catch. Aunt Abby always had something for me.

"Where's my kiss, Link?" She pointed to her cheek and I stared at her. "Give me a kiss and I might have a surprise for you?"

I grinned and happily gave her a big wet kiss where she was still pointing.

"That's my favorite big guy." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small pack of gummy bears. My eyes got big and I started kicking my feet and reached for them. "Don't tell your mom. You know how she gets." She giggled and added, "Besides, gummy bears are only for big boys, right?"

"Wite." I said as I popped one into my mouth.

She grinned, kissed my cheek, put me on my feet, and said, "Stay adorable, Munchkin."

"Abby, I think your daughter needs to be changed. She stinks." Charlie said, passing the little girl to her mother.

"Ladies don't stink do they, Anna?" Abby cooed. Her daughter had red hair and green eyes and looked exactly like her mother. She was a few months away from turning a year old herself and in spite of who her parents were, she was the most agreeable happy go lucky baby anyone had ever met.

"What's the matter with Anna banana?" Stephen asked his wife.

"No on the Anna banana, Stephen. She stinks. You wanna change her?" Abby held their daughter out in his direction knowing he would take her for any reason.

"Let's go get..." Stephen cut his eyes at his wife and grabbed the diaper bag. "my girl's diaper changed. We can't have a stinky girl, can we?" He went back to calling her Anna banana when he was out of earshot of Abby.

"Okay, let's have cake!" Fitz announces. He scoops Katie up from the middle of the three girls. "Let's lead the way ladies!" The girls all follow him and Katie into the kitchen.

Carter and Katie are sitting in their high chairs and by the time they are done with their little cakes, they are covered from head to toe with cake. Katie didn't like the feel of it on her hands and tried to shake it off after she touched the sticky frosting. She looked at her mother and began to whine.

"Birthday girl, stop being a diva and get some cake on your hand." When Olivia had brought Katie's hand to her mouth to taste the sweet stuff, that was all the instruction she needed. Katie dove into her cake mouth first and when she picked up her head her face was yellow, but she was grinning proudly.

Carter didn't mind touching it, but he wasn't interested in eating it. He tasted it and that was enough for him. He did spend the next five minutes playing in his cake even if none of it ended up in his mouth. "You're supposed to eat it, Carteroni." Fitz said with a laugh.

"Stop calling my baby Carteroni!" Olivia hissed.

Fitz put his arms around her from behind and kissed the side of her head. "He loves it." After the cake was mostly gone from Katie's high chair, and Carter was beyond sick of playing with it, Fitz looked at Abby and said, "SuperGirl, you're in charge of Link until we get back from bathing the little cake monsters. When we're done, everyone needs to go home. And don't ply him with candy either, Abby."

"What do you mean?" She asked innocently.

"Don't even try it, Abs. Liv saw the gummy bears earlier. If you get him hyped up on sugar, he's going to spend the night with you." Fitz warned.

"Why can't I be in charge?" Thad asked with a smile.

"Because you're you, idiot!"

"Uncle Fitz said idiot." Megan announced.

"Way to go dumba...Dumbo." Thad corrected himself with a smirk.

"Daddy said dumbo." Megan said.

Thad picked up his middle daughter and tickled her sides. "It's a movie ya tattletale." She giggled uncontrollably until he stopped.

After the twins were bathed and changed into pajamas, one by one everyone gave hugs and kisses to the five of them, said goodbye, and left. Thankfully everyone had pitched in and cleaned up most of the mess while the kids had been bathed. One less thing for the parents to do before bed. Olivia and Fitz had brought the kids upstairs to their bedroom and the five of them sat on their big bed. "Silence is golden." Fitz announced to his little family.

"You do realize that the three of them are all still awake and silence isn't going to be happening for at least another thirty minutes." Olivia said sarcastically.

Fitz looked at Lincoln. "Mommy is such a buzzkill, Link." When Lincoln started laughing at his father's words, Fitz started laughing with him.

"Just for that, you can put his pajamas on him tonight." Olivia said.

"Babe, no! You know that he hates being naked. And you know that he hates being dressed by someone other than himself. Why would you do that to me?" Katie crawled over into her father's lap and hugged him. "Katie, you're my best girl now. Mommy is making me do mean things."

Olivia stared at him. "If daddy ever wants mommy to tie him up, he will put the damn pajamas..."

"Message received loud and clear, babe." He put Katie down on the bed and turned to his firstborn. "Link. Come here son. Daddy has to put your pajamas on."

Lincoln knew what those last words meant. He quickly made his way to the end of the bed, but his daddy was much faster and caught him. He began to go bonelessly limp in his father's arms, making it difficult to hold onto him.

Fitz grabbed Lincoln's legs and held him upside down as the boy giggled heartily. "Mommy? Have you seen Link? I can't find him. All I see is this wiggly little squirrel." He reached a hand down and tickled his son, causing the volume coming from Lincoln to go even louder.

Olivia pretended to look around the room. "Noooooo, I haven't seen him either. But what a cute little squirrel. Let me take a closer look at him."

"I wite he-ah." Lincoln said from his upside down position.

Olivia kept an eye on Carter and Katie who were watching the show with amusement. "That cute little squirrel just talked!"

"I not a skirrel. I Link!" He said giggling.

Grinning, Fitz got on the side of the bed his wife was sitting on and he stood there with Link still upside down. Olivia reached out and tickled his belly. "Daddy, this squirrel's name is Link! Turn him up so we can see him better." When Fitz complied, Olivia covered her mouth with both her hands and said, "It's our Link! Come here cute boy."

"You don't want to go to her, Link. You and Carter and Katie can have pig pile on daddy, but I have to put your pajamas on first. Okay?" When Lincoln grinned Fitz knew he had won him over.

As Fitz took of his son's clothes and replaced them with pajamas, Carter and Katie would lean down and steal kisses from their big brother. The three of them would giggle together every time it happened. Olivia got teary eyed, and Fitz noticed, but never said anything. He figured she was allowed because they were being extra damn cute tonight.

Once Link was finally dressed for bed, Fitz flopped down on his back dramatically in the center of the bed. His three children wasted no time climbing onto his body. Carter laid across his father's neck, Katie laid on his legs, and Lincoln sprawled out across his belly. Their wild laughter started once again when Fitz's tickling fingers touched their soft pudgy skin. When they started shifting around on his body he let out exaggerated groans telling them they were heavy. He loved every minute of it.

Olivia watched her favorite people in the world playing and couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face. It had been quite a year for the five of them, full of ups and downs and she knew more were in store for them as the years went on. She held up her phone and took a picture of them in the middle of their game, smiling faces on all four of them. She leaned over her husband's face and pecked his lips once before she began tickling her children and finding a place of her own to pile up on Fitz too.


	42. Open House

_I'm sorry this story hasn't been updated as often as it used to be. I work for a school system and the closer it gets to the end of the year (2 weeks to go!) the crazier it gets. The part of this chapter pertaining to open house actually happened to my oldest son before he started kindergarten. His teacher turned out to be the sweetest woman and his favorite teacher to this day. Once again, thank you all for reading this story._

Open House

"Carteroni, go get your shoes on." Fitz called from the kitchen as he stacked the dishes into the sink from dinner.

"Please." Olivia corrected. "And stop calling him Carteroni. It's weird."

Fitz huffed loudly and bellowed, "Carter Fitzgerald Stephen Grant!" He cut his piercing blue eyes at his wife with an annoyed look. She propped her hand on her hip and waited for the P word. "Pleeeeease go upstairs and put your shoes on before I go find a pair of your sister's pinkest shoes and stick them on your feet."

"Daddy! I don wanna go." Carter whined.

"Hurry up, Cart!" Lincoln instructed. "You don't wanna look like a girl at school, do ya?"

"Why do I haveta go? It's not even my school." He pouted.

Olivia went into the living room and pointed at her youngest son. "You! Get upstairs and put your shoes on your feet so we can go please."

"Okay." He mumbled before running upstairs barefoot.

"I'm ready, daddy." Katie chimed as she went into the kitchen to show her father.

"That's my big girl." Fitz praised. Katie disappeared into the living room to wait with Lincoln until Carter got his shoes on. After the dishes were sitting in the sink, he once again looked at his wife. "I know how to talk to my kids, Liv."

"Really? Because it sounded like you were talking caveman to him."

"You love it when I go caveman on you." He chuckled.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close. "I do. But I don't want my sons talking to each other or other people like that. Save the caveman for later on. I might even swing from your vine."

Fitz broke out into a huge proud grin. "I might let you." He leaned down to kiss her and then patted her ass. "If you say please."

"You are a hilarious man. Let's go round up the troops and get this show on the road before I think about what we are doing and start crying."

"Our kids are growing up, Liv. They can't stay babies forever. Besides, it's just Lincoln who is starting school. You'll still have Carter and Katie at home. Kindergarten open house will be fun. We'll get to find his classroom, meet his teacher, and see where he will spend his days, so we are comfortable with it."

"Right. And then one year from now the twins will be starting school and then we'll be empty nesters."

Fitz chuckled at her thinking and held onto her. "We'll hardly be empty nesters, babe. They will be coming back home at the end of the day every single day. We are a long way from having an empty nest. These ducks or birds or whatever the hell you call them will be with us for quite a while. But you're allowed to be sad. It's a big event for our first born."

"I don't want to talk about it, okay? Not yet anyways. I just want to know that Lincoln will have a super nice teacher who will take the time to know his name and see how amazing he is instead of seeing him as just another kid in her class." Olivia admitted.

"It's gonna be great, babe." When she looked up at her husband he added, "But we won't leave the school until you feel completely comfortable and have all of your questions answered, okay?"

She gave him a weak smile. "Okay." Fitz leaned down and pecked his wife's lips. "Thank you."

"Thank me later when you're swinging from my vine." He said with a grin.

Olivia gave him a bland stare and bellowed, "Is everybody ready to go?"

The five of them arrived at the large brick building where lots of cars were parked outside, filling the school parking lot as well as a side street leading to it. Smiling parents poured out of their vehicles with their children to go inside and discover which teacher their little ones had been assigned to for the upcoming year. Most of the kids were anxiously pulling their parents toward the front doors of the school. Olivia knew that after the newness of the beginning of the school year wore off, the parents would be the ones doing the pulling while the kids were the ones dragging behind. Olivia picked up Carter while Fitz picked up Katie and the five of them went inside.

A smiling redhead woman met them as well as several other families in the hall upon entering the school. "Good afternoon everyone. My name is Mrs. Moon and I'm the principal here. If your students are starting kindergarten you will need to follow the signs down to the kindergarten hall. You'll see a roster taped next to the door of each teacher's room. To find your student's classroom, find your son or daughter's name on that roster. If you should have any problems, come back to the front office and we will help in any way we can."

Olivia looked at Fitz and he shrugged before they began making their way down the brightly decorated halls on their way to find the kindergarten classrooms. The hall was alive with activity from kids and parents alike. Olivia had never seen so many people in one space in her entire life. So many four to five year olds!

"Babe? Over here." Fitz called out. When she saw him standing beside an open door she peeked inside before focusing her attention to the piece of white paper that was tape to the wall in the hall. The room was done in a duck theme and Olivia fell in love with the room immediately. There were cut out ducks on the walls, brightly yellow painted spaces to hold the student's little backpacks, a cute bulletin board that had each student's name written on a duck and the wording said Mrs. Long's Lucky Ducks.

"DUCKS!" Lincoln gasped excitedly.

The wide eyed five year old started to go through the door, but Fitz squatted down in front of him and said, "Hang on, Link. Do you remember what Mrs. Moon said when we got here?"

Lincoln looked confused.

"The lady with the same color hair as aunt Abby?"

His face brightened at the recollection. "She said we have to look for our name on the rooster. But where is it?"

Fitz chuckled at his son. "It's a roster. Not a rooster. It means a list of names." He put Katie on her feet and picked Lincoln up and showed him the list near the door. "See? Your name isn't on Mrs. Long's list. So, we have to keep looking until we find it. Kind of like a treasure hunt."

Lincoln smiled brightly. "Like pirates?"

"Kinda. Yea." Fitz replied with a grin.

"Can I walk and not be held though?" He asked.

"I suppose. Since you're a big boy going to school and leaving mommy and me for all this fun."

Lincoln put his arms around his father's neck. "But I'll come back every time you know."

Fitz held onto his son for as long as he allowed him to. "I know, big guy." He set Lincoln down and looked over at his wife, who looked like she was about to cry. He shook his head at her silently and she turned her head and tried to hold it together. Fitz held Katie's hand and happily said, "Lead the way, Link."

The next room was decorated with bears. Fuzzy brown bears everywhere. Lincoln was unimpressed but wanted to know if his name was on the list. Once again, Fitz lifted him up and the two of them looked at every name in search of Lincolns. Fitz looked at his son and said, "It looks like you're not going to be a bear at school either. Let's keep looking."

The next classroom was decked out in bees and once again, Lincoln's name wasn't on the list. At this point Olivia was becoming concerned and quietly asked her husband, "Where the hell is my son's name?"

Fitz shifted Katie to his other hip effortlessly and whispered back, "I don't know but we aren't leaving here until we find his classroom." He held her hand and said, "Just breathe, babe."

"Damn straight we aren't leaving until we find it." Her voice rose in a sing song when Lincoln looked up at her. "Let's try this one, Lincoln."

They looked at four other classroom rosters, but Lincoln's name wasn't on any of them. Determined not to appear defeated, Olivia gave her first born a big smile and said, "Let's go to the front office and see what they can tell us. Someone probably just forgot to add your name, baby. We'll find it, okay?"

"Okay, mommy." He grabbed her hand, leaving Fitz with the twins following close behind and back tracked through the busy halls to the front office of the school.

There was a line of people and it momentarily brought back the memory of the day she met Fitz at the dry cleaners. Fitz must have remembered too, because she felt his large hands on her shoulders as he began massaging them lightly. "This looks familiar, doesn't it?"

"It does. That seems like a lifetime ago though." She remarked as she reached back to put her hand on one of his.

"I wouldn't change a single thing, babe." He said. Fitz leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

"Can I help you?" The woman behind the desk asked pleasantly.

"Please." Olivia began. "Our son is supposed to start kindergarten, but his name isn't on any of the teacher's rosters and we don't know what to do?"

The woman looked down at the biggest of their three littles and asked, "Are you the one starting kindergarten here?"

"Yes ma'am." Lincoln replied.

Olivia smiled proudly and ruffled his curls.

"Oh my goodness. Such good manners. Whoever your teacher is, she is going to be happy to have you in her classroom. What is your name, young Sir?" She asked with a smile.

Link looked up at his mother to make sure it was okay to tell this woman who was a stranger what his name was. When she nodded, he said, "Lincoln Grant."

"Now that sounds like a future President's name." She tapped on the computer monitor and after a minute she looked down at him with a smile and said, "Okay. Mr. Lincoln. It looks like you are supposed to be in Mrs. Longs class. Do you know where that is?"

Lincoln's eyes went wide. "No ma'am."

"I would be happy if you stayed right here and talked to me for the school year." She chuckled. "Well, Mrs. Long's class is the first classroom on the left. It's decorated with lots of ducks. You can't miss it."

"I'monna be a duck?" He asked excitedly.

"Yes, Sir you are." The kind office worker announced.

"Mommy!" Lincoln almost screamed.

"I know, little man! You're in the duck class! How awesome is that?" Olivia replied.

"I take it he likes ducks?" The woman asked Fitz.

"Oh yea. You just made his entire year that much better!" Fitz replied with a grin. His eyes never left his excited wife and son. "Thank you so much for your help."

"You're welcome." She replied with a smile. After Fitz and Olivia walked away she helped the next frazzled parents in line.

The Grants made their way back down to the kindergarten hall and found Mrs. Long's classroom. Olivia made a point to show Lincoln things on the wall on their way, so he would easily be able to find the room on his own – after she had taken him to his room herself the first few days and felt confident that he knew where to go. He walked into the room and saw a few other kids playing with the toys or looking at brightly colored books, but he stayed with his parents, hanging close to his mother.

The teacher, a young woman appearing to be in her late twenties with blonde hair and blue eyes was ending a conversation with another set of parents and turned to Fitz and Olivia. "Hi. My name is Mrs. Long."

"Fitz and Olivia Grant." He said, extending his hand politely.

Both of them shook her hand and she gestured for them to sit in one of the small yellow chairs. Mrs. Long looked at the three Grant children and smiled warmly. "And which one of you cuties is going to be in my class this year?"

Olivia smiled and put her arm around her oldest. "This is our son, Lincoln Grant."

Mrs. Long glanced at the neatly typed piece of paper in front of her and frowned for a moment. "I don't see a Lincoln Grant on my list."

"We didn't see it the first time we came looking for Link's name on the rosters either." Fitz explained. "So we went back up to the front office and one of the ladies working in there looked his name up in the computer and told us that Link was in your class. It may be an error though." He and Olivia started to stand up. "We can go and have them double check. It's no problem at all."

Mrs. Long gently put her hand on Olivia's arm and in a genuinely sweet voice said, "No, no, no, no. We want him in our class. I'm sure it was just an error that his name was left off from my roster, but Lincoln is one of ours now. That is, if he wants to be in here?"

Three sets of adult eyes turned to look at Lincoln. He looked up at all of them.

"What do you think, Link? Do you wanna be a duck?" Fitz asked, already knowing the answer.

Lincoln smiled widely and said, "yes, Sir."

"Good. It's settled then. I'm very sorry for any confusion about all of this. I'm sure it was very frustrating to not see his name anywhere. I can't imagine what you must have thought?" The teacher said to the parents who felt completely at ease with her.

"I think it turned out perfectly." Olivia said.

"Lincoln, can you tell me who you have with you today?" Mrs. Long asked.

"This is Carter and Katie. They are twins, but they aren't in school yet. Right mommy?" Lincoln said.

"Right, baby. Not until next year." Olivia said giving him a wink.

"Would you like to take Carter and Katie to play with the toys while I talk to your mommy and daddy?" She asked. He nodded excitedly and the three of them dashed off. "You have beautiful children Mr. and Mrs. Grant."

"Thank you." They said in unison.

"I have a small packet of papers that need to be read and signed. You don't have to do it now if you don't want to, but if they can be returned the first week of school that would be best." She handed them to Olivia who glanced through them. "Will Lincoln be a bus rider or car rider?"

"Car rider." Olivia said.

"Okay. You'll need an identification number for your car window. It's basically a piece of copy paper, mine are yellow for obvious reasons, that you put on the dash of your car while you wait in the car rider line to pick him up. It tells part of his last name and has a number to go along with it. You have to have it in your car to pick him up each day. If for some reason you don't have it, then you'll need to come inside to sign him out to get him. Does that make sense?"

Olivia nodded.

"Will he be eating school lunch or bringing his lunch from home?"

"Link's favorite time of the day is meal time." Fitz said with a grin. "He'll probably want school lunch most days."

"I agree." Olivia said. "There may be a few days when he will want to pack his lunch, but he'll pretty much eat anything."

"In that packet of papers is a free and reduced lunch application. You aren't required to fill it out, but if you're interested in applying you are welcome to." She explained.

"I don't think we will qualify for that but thank you." Olivia said as she moved that unneeded piece of paper to the back of the stack.

"No problem. Does Lincoln have any allergies? Either to foods or medications or anything?"

"None that we're aware of." Olivia said looking at Fitz who was shaking his head back and forth.

"Great. We just like to keep those things on file with the school nurse just in case. He's still young, so if anything comes up if you will let me know we can all be on the same page. And speaking of the school nurse, we'll need a copy of his shot records for his file." Mrs. Long flipped through another packet and showed Olivia and Fitz another form. "This is a checklist of what we'll need."

Mrs. Long watched Olivia's face as she flipped through the stack of papers and said, "It looks like a lot but once you get home and start looking through them, you'll see that it's not that bad. You don't need some of them anyways. It's a little overwhelming for parents of first time kindergarteners. The positive thing is that next year when your twins start school you'll know exactly what's what and will fly through the stack in no time."

"Good point. But I'm not ready to think about the two of them going to school just yet. I'm still struggling with the fact that Lincoln is old enough to start."

Mrs. Long leaned forward, smiled, and whispered, "Then we won't talk about it." She saw another family come into her room and said, "Lincoln? Would you and your brother and sister like to come pick something out of the treasure chest before you go home?"

Three sets of eyes went wide, and they rushed over to Lincoln's teacher. She pointed to a small chest sitting on a nearby table and said, "You may each pick out one item to keep."

"Can we mommy?" Lincoln asked.

"Sure baby." Olivia said with a nod. Lincoln picked up a random little toy and looked it over while the twins each took their time choosing their own treasures. The three adults moved towards the door and Olivia added, "Thank you so much for making Lincoln feel welcome. It really means the world to me."

Mrs. Long smiled. "It's absolutely my pleasure. We are going to have a great year in kindergarten together."

"I have the same feeling too. If there's anything you need, please feel free to reach out. I'm happy to help in any way that I can." Olivia replied.

"I do have a list of things I use in my classroom every year. Things for my students. If you want to pick one or two items to purchase and send in, that would be genuinely appreciated."

As his wife looked over the list, Fitz said, "You just gave Olivia a reason to go shopping. Don't be surprised if she is here bright and early on the first day of school with a shopping cart full of things from your list."

"I won't be surprised or upset if that happened." She said with a smile. "But one or two items is really very helpful. Don't, by any means, feel the need to buy all of it."

"All she heard was 'buy all of it'" Fitz joked. "We're happy to help. Please do let us know as the year goes on what we can do to help with anything."

Olivia decided to let Mrs. Long in on a little secret of her own. "Fitz owns The Sweet Spot in the city, so if you ever want to take the kids there on a field trip, you've got an in with him."

"That really cute cupcake place? Oh, I love it there. I've taken my son there for breakfast before. It's a perfect place for a field trip! I'll definitely keep that in mind. Thank you both so much." Looking at Olivia, she grinned and added, "I'll see you bright and early on the first day of school with your shopping cart, Mrs. Grant."

The five Grants said thank you to Mrs. Long, waved goodbye, and left.

Once they were all settled in the car, Olivia turned to the backseat and asked, "What do you think of your teacher, Lincoln?"

"Her yellow hair is very pretty." Katie said.

"It is." Olivia agreed.

"She's nice. I'm happy cause I'm a duck. And I love ducks." Lincoln replied.

"I'm glad you're happy, baby. I think you will really like being in her class." Olivia said smiling.

"Do ducks eat ice cream?" Fitz asked from the driver's seat. "Because I thought we could all go get ice cream. But if ducks don't eat ice cream them we can just go home instead."

"Daddy!" Katie exclaimed on a giggle. "Ducks don't eat ice cream. Do they mommy?"

"I don't know. I've never tried to feed ice cream to a duck." She said with a grin.

"I'm a duck now and I love ice cream." Lincoln said with a grin.

"That's my boy!" Fitz said. "Let's go take these people home, Link and you and I can go back out and get us an ice cream."

"That's not fair!" Carter began to whine.

"Ya gotta be a duck, Cart." Lincoln explained with a mischievous grin Olivia had seen on his father's face many times before.

Carter smiled widely at his brother and loudly said, "QUACK QUACK" followed by an outburst of wild giggles.

"I'm a duck too, daddy." Katie explained.

"All I hear is talking. How do I know you're not a people in disguise? You gotta quack, princess." Fitz explained.

"You're silly, daddy."

"Maybe. But I have ice cream money. Now let's hear it."

"Quack quack." She said prissily.

"This car is just full of ducks. That just leaves mommy." Four heads turned to Olivia and waited for her to join in their fun.

"Fitz, I'm not doing..."

"Home for mommy." Fitz interrupted. When she glared at him from the passenger seat, he said, "hey, I don't make the rules."

"I kind of think that you..."

"Just the quacks, ma'am." He said, cutting her off.

"Come on, mommy." Lincoln encouraged.

"If you want ice cream you gotta quack." Katie said.

"I'm not going if mommy doesn't go." Carter said, pouting and folding his little arms across his chest.

Olivia smiled showing her teeth and quietly, without moving her lips, told her husband, "I hate you for this."

Fitz gave her a lopsided smile and picked up her hand, kissing it. "You love me more than life itself. Quack for me, babe."

"Quack Quack" Olivia said without enthusiasm.

"Awww, you can do better than.."

"Don't push it, Fitzgerald Grant." She threatened.

He leaned towards her, hugging her as the three kids in the backseat giggled, and whispered in her ear, "I'm going to push it later. And you're going to love it every time I do."

Olivia squeezed her thighs together and watched her husband shift back into his seat and put on his seatbelt. In an effort to clear her sex hazed mind of Fitz pushing it, Olivia asked the happy trio in the back seat, "What kind of ice cream are you guys gonna get?"

"Strawberry!" "Chocolate!" "Chocwate Chip!" The three of them announced loudly together.

"I think I'm gonna get coffee flavor." Olivia told them.

"Planning on being up late?" Fitz asked with a gleam in his eye. Olivia ignored him, but Fitz knew where her mind was at.

"What kind are you getting daddy?" Lincoln asked.

Fitz squeezed his wife's hand and said, "Caveman cookies and cream."

Three high pitched squeals of laughter came from the backseat as they drove away from the school.


	43. Daddy Duty

Daddy Duty

"Fitz? I'm heading into the office. You're going to drop the kids off at school this morning, right?" Olivia called out from the top of the stairs as she put an earring into her ear.

Two large hands wound around her waist from behind, causing her to jump. "Go get 'em, counselor. I've got daddy duty covered."

She turned in his arms and flirtatiously replied, "Maybe you can cover me later tonight?"

"I like the way this day is starting." He leaned down and kissed her passionately, letting his tongue dart into her mouth. Fitz felt her arms go around his neck as he eagerly deepened the kiss.

"Ewww." An annoyed voice said as it rushed past them down the stairs.

The happy couple broke apart on a chuckle and wiped their mouths. "You won't think kissing is gross when you're older." Fitz called out.

"Much, much older!" Olivia added. She turned to her husband and caught his proud grin. "Thank you for taking the kids to school this morning. I love you."

He swatted her ass as she made her way down the stairs and cockily called out, "I got you covered. Love you too!"

At the breakfast table Fitz powered up his laptop while watching his firstborn eating a bowl of cereal and pretend to read the box as Katie joined them and took the box from in front of her brother and began pouring herself a bowl and making a mess. "Hey! I was looking at that!" He snatched it away from his sister.

Fitz waited for it. He didn't even have to wait a nanosecond.

Katie looked at her father as a pout crossed her face. "Daddy! Lincoln took the cereal away from me."

God, she looked just like her mother when she pouted, and Fitz was reduced to mush when his wife pouted. He knew his daughter was going to give him ulcers when she was older. He felt the beginning of one already. He looked at his son and began. "Lincoln, we don't snatch things away from each other. We are respectful and wait until they are done with them or ask politely."

Lincoln opened his mouth to complain but Fitz gave him 'the look' and he was silenced. Now he directed his attention to his daughter. "Princess, you saw him looking at the box when you came in here and sat down. You picked it up, without asking, and he wasn't done with it either. I think you both owe each other an apology."

"Sorry, Link. I was hungry and just took it." Mini Olivia said.

"I'm sorry, Katie. I was in the middle of looking at the cartoon of the two dogs. You wanna look at it with me?" Lincoln asked.

"Yea!" She replied excitedly.

"I saw mom and dad kissing. It was gross!" Lincoln announced to his sister.

Fitz watched them from under his eyelashes and smiled. This should be interesting, he thought to himself.

"Mommy and daddy are always kissing." Katie giggled. "It's kinda...cute."

That's my girl, the proud dad thought.

"Kissing isn't cute. It's...YUCK!"

He couldn't keep quiet any longer. "You know, Link one day you're gonna actually like kissing girls."

Lincoln rolled his eyes. "Mom says I have to wait until I'm thirty. That's a long time."

Fitz leaned closer to his son. "More like thirteen." He watched his son's eyes grow wide. "But don't tell your mother I said that. Where's your brother?" Fitz asked looking around.

Lincoln ignored him. Katie shrugged silently while spooning cereal into her mouth.

Fitz looked at his watch. It was seven oh three. "He'd better not still be asleep." He muttered and headed upstairs. He knew that Lincoln and Katie would be entertained for hours if left alone together and only rarely got into scuffles. That just left Carter. He was the true middle child. Not old enough to hang out with Lincoln and not interested in anything Katie was. He marched to the beat of his own drum. The problem with that was his drum was a tad on the lazy side.

Carter and Katie had separated into their own bedrooms about two years ago. Neither one of them were interested in being twins anymore. Not when one of them was male and the other one a female. Carter was constantly whining about all the 'pink stuff' in their shared room while Katie hated that her brother always kept his side of the room messy. The decision had been made and neither one of them looked back.

Fitz got to the end of the hall and found his youngest son's bedroom door shut. He wanted to barge in and knew he had a right to. It was his house after all. Now that Olivia was gone to work it was his house. Instead, he knocked on the door and called out, "Carteroni? Buddy, are you up? Please tell me you aren't still asleep?"

"Mmmmkay" a sleepy voice from the other side of the door said.

"Carter Fitzgerald, you had better not be in your bed when I come in there." He listened for sounds but heard none. He took a deep breath and gripped the doorknob. "I'm opening the door now." He stopped and listened again. Nothing. He turned the knob and heard a thud before he entered the darkened room. His son was laying on the floor with his eyes closed, still in his pajamas. "Carter!"

"What? I'm not in my bed."

Fitz bit his cheek to hide the smile that wanted to cross his face. This son of his was so like him it was scary at times. "We have to leave for school in fifteen minutes. You need to be dressed, hair combed, teeth brushed, and backpack on in the living room by then."

"That's a lot to do in fifteen minutes though." The boy whined sleepily.

"You should have gotten up earlier, lazy bones. Come on. We can do this." Fitz picked his son up, tilted him over his shoulder so that Carter's head was hanging halfway down his father's back and smacked his butt lightly. His son giggled loudly and tried to hit his dad on the butt too. His arms were too short yet.

"First things first. Go pee and brush your stinky teeth. Before you leave the bathroom, comb your hair. Girls don't like messy curls, son. Then get dressed and come downstairs to get your backpack on. Please."

"I don't get to eat breakfast?" He looked up at his father with his most pitiful face, knowing he would cave in.

"You're killing me, dude." Fitz huffed out a breath and knelt down in front of him. "Do you swear, on your mother's love, that you will eat breakfast at the speed of light and not play around at the table?"

"Yup. All that." Carter grinned and held his left hand behind his back and crossed his fingers. He had heard at school that when you did that it meant you could lie.

"Hurry!" Fitz watched a wild mop of curls race to the stairs until he was no longer visible. Fitz knew he was being played by his son. Carter never did anything at the speed of light. Never had from the moment he was born, and that wasn't about to change today. He shook his head back and forth and went back downstairs to make sure Carter at least had a little more than a turtle's pace going.

He found Carter looking at the cereal box beside his big brother as Lincoln encouraged him to pour some. "Cart, you've gotta eat. I don't wanna be late for school! If mommy finds out we were late to school..."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Fitz interrupted. He was not interested in Liv finding out he got her birds to school after the bell rang. "No one is going to be late for school. Not on my watch. Carter, you've got two minutes to eat some breakfast or you'll have to get eat at school."

Carter stopped moving. Daddy was brilliant! He just gave him a great idea. "I can eat breakthast at school today?" He asked excitedly.

Fitz looked around the room in confusion, looking for candid camera. Why was his child excited about eating school food? There had to be a catch. "It's breakFAST. And yes, you can if you want to."

Carter got up from the table and started doing a happy dance that looked more like he had ants in his pants than anything else. "Yessssss!"

Fitz looked at Lincoln. "Why is he so happy about this?"

Lincoln shrugged and went to get his backpack.

"Carteroni? What's the deal about breakfast at school?"

"Joey told me they gots Lucky Charms at school." Carter explained with a huge smile. "I'm gonna go get dressed. Okay, daddy?"

Lucky Charms made Carter move faster than his father had ever seen him move in his entire life. "Uhh, sure son. Be downstairs in five minutes. We are not going to be late! I do not want your mother's wrath on that one."

"What's wrath, daddy?" Katie asked with a crinkled face.

"Ummmm, it means...uhhhh...it's kind of like..." Shit. He had walked right into that one. How to explain it to his daughter without her repeating it her mother though? He huffed out a breath and sat her on his lap as he tied her pink tennis shoes. "It's when someone is mad, princess."

"Mommy would be mad if we was late to school." Katie said, nodding her head.

Mommy would be royally pissed off, Fitz thought. He kissed her on top of her head. "But no one is going to be late. So, there will be no wrath from mommy. Right?"

"Right!" She agreed.

He began to feel nervous about their timeline and went to the bottom of the stairs calling, "CARTERONI! Let's go, son!"

A few minutes later, Carter appeared at the top of the stairs. His shorts were on, but his shirt was another matter. Carter had one arm through the hole his head was supposed to go into. His head was sticking out through one of the arm holes and the wild curls stuck out in every direction. Under normal circumstances, Fitz would have found his youngest son's appearance comical. But this was not normal circumstances. They were about to be running late, and Fitz would bet the deed of The Sweet Spot that Carter still hadn't brushed his teeth. He grimaced when he noticed his son's feet were bare.

"I'm...stuck!" Carter whined. His right arm was sticking straight up in the air as his head was cocked to the side.

He made his way up the steps and did chuckle quietly at what he saw. "Let me help you with that." He put his son's arm down through that larger hole and tried to get his head out of the arm hole. "How did you get your head into such a little place?"

Carter shrugged. "I dunno."

Fitz grabbed the bottom edge of the shirt and said, "I'll try to do this gently, but the hole is a small one so it's probably gonna squeeze your ears when I pull it off, okay?"

Carter shrugged again. "Mmmkay."

He paused a moment to appreciate the current easy going attitude of his youngest son. Fitz pulled the shirt up gently until his head finally popped out of the arm hole. "There's my Carteroni!" Fitz said, giving him a grin.

"Mommy doesn't like it when you call me cartawoni." Carter informed his father.

"Does it bother you that I call you Carteroni?"

Carter shrugged and shook his head no.

Fitz squatted down in front of his son, grinning at him conspiratorially. "Mommy is at work and can't hear me right now."

Carter wore a serious expression. "Uh huh. Mommy told us she gots eyes everywhere. Ears too. So she can see stuff and hear stuff even if she's not around."

Fitz stood up suddenly and looked around. Damn. Mommy was freaking him out right now. He shook his head and came back to his senses. He held his son's shirt open and pulled it over his head. Carter put his arms through the correct holes and Fitz said, "Go brush your teeth right now and bring your shoes downstairs please. We have got to get on the road or you three birds will be late."

"We're ducks." Carter corrected as he scampered away.

"Whatever! Hurry up please!" He decided a little mommy scare tactic was in order. "Your mommy will see if you're late." Little footsteps moved double time and Fitz smiled and said to no one at all, "huh. Liv is a genius. That shit actually works. I gotta remember that."

Once Carter's shoes were on, the four of them went outside and got into the car. After he made sure all three of them were properly buckled up, Fitz backed out of the driveway. They made it to the first stop sign when his cell phone rang. He glanced down at the face of it sitting in the cup holder and saw that it was Olivia. "Okay guys, it's mommy. I'm going to put her on speaker phone so please be quiet, so I can hear her."

"Babe?" Her voice filled the car.

"Mommy!" Three voices chimed from the backseat.

"Fitz? Why are my kids still with you? Please tell me you're pulling up in front of the school right now?"

He sighed. This wasn't going to be pretty. "We just left the house actually. You're on speakerphone by the way. Carter had a problem with his shirt. But we are on our way now."

"What kind of problem? There shouldn't have been a problem, Fitz! I laid his clothes out last night because it's picture day at school today. Did you change his shirt? Tell me which one you put on him, because he has to look nice for his pictures. They are going to his grandparents. He had better not have on a pajama top or so help me..."

"Babe?" She was still ranting about pajamas and pictures and he couldn't get a word in edgewise. He raised his baritone voice and said, "Babe! Calm down."

Olivia's side of the line went silent.

He took a deep breath and quieted it some. "I'm not going to send our kids to school wearing pajamas. I have a little more sense than that."

"You're right. I'm sorry for ranting."

"It's okay."

Silence filled the line for a few moments.

"Which shirt is he wearing though?" She asked.

Fitz shook his head back and forth as his children giggled in the back seat. "He's wearing the one you laid out for him, I guess. I didn't change his shirt."

"Well, then what happened? You made it sound like he spilled cereal all over himself or something?"

"He's eating at school this morning because he decided that he would rather lay..."

"Uh uh! Carter Fitzgerald, when I get home we are going to talk, little man. You are not supposed to eat breakfast at school and you know it."

Carter shrunk down in the seat, trying to make himself as small as possible.

"Why can't he eat breakfast at school? And why don't I know that rule? Is it a new one you just added?"

"He can't eat breakfast at school because they serve sugary cereals and he gets hyper on sugar. You know that!"

Fitz looked in the rearview mirror at his son. He had to adjust the mirror because his head was so much lower than his siblings. Yea, she does that to me too sometimes, he thought to himself. "Carter? Tell the lunch lady you want bran rings when you get there. I'm sure they have it."

"What if they don't?" He asked meekly.

Fitz turned in his seat and put his finger against his lips, silencing his son and gave him a wink. "Okay, babe. The boy isn't going to do anything else illegal today. The streets are safer now. Thanks."

"Okay, when he's bouncing off the walls at nine o'clock tonight and you can't cover me, you can stay up with him until he falls asleep."

That message was received loud and clear! Fitz hastily blurted out, "I'll take care of it, personally!"

"Did you get Lincoln's art project?" She asked.

"WHAT?" Fitz asked impatiently.

A quiet and dread filled "uh oh" came from the backseat.

"His art project. I mentioned it before I left." Olivia said through the line.

"No you didn't! You kissed me, you said bye, and you left. You never said anything about an art project." He protested.

"Well, you're going to have to go back and get it because Lincoln has to have it today. We worked on it for most of the afternoon yesterday. Are you sure I didn't mention it?"

"Positive! You said nothing about it, Liv. And if I go back the swans are going to be late to school."

"The who?" She asked.

"We're ducks!" The kids informed their father loudly from the backseat between giggles.

"Can't he take it tomorrow? I mean, what are they gonna do? Knock a point off of his grade? It's not that serious in the grade he's in." Fitz was negotiating with his wife. He really did not want to go back home, unbuckle three kids from the car, take them into the house, and then corral them all back into the car. The thought alone made him exhausted.

"No, he can't take it tomorrow! Fitz! I'll postpone court. I'll ask for a continuance and come home and take care of..."

"I'll go back and get the art project. Do not leave work for something so..." He gestured with his hands wildly, but no great expressive words came to mind. "Just stay there. I can do this. I'm a grown man for god's sake. I'll drop Lincoln and Katie off at the door and take Carteroni into the cafeteria to make sure he gets his bran rings. You go to work and take care of business, so I can take care of business later."

"You're the cutest dad in the world." Olivia sang out.

"Yea? How cute?" He asked smiling.

"Take me off speaker phone, babe and I'll tell you." She teased.

Fitz put the phone up to his ear and listened to the dirty words his wife used to describe him. She was the sexiest woman on earth and all his.

"Daddy! Why are you smiling like that?" Katie asked. "What's mommy saying to you?"

"I gotta go, babe. Until later."

"Awww, I was just getting started. Put me back on speaker phone please."

"Speaker phone activated." Fitz announced and held the device in the air.

"I love you my precious beautiful intelligent ducks. Have a good day." Olivia said cheerfully to her children.

"Love you too, mommy duck!" They each said.

"I'm going to wash your feathers tonight, mommy duck." Fitz said with a grin. He ended the call and made a u-turn at the stop sign, heading back home. He pulled up in the driveway and said, "We are going inside to grab the art project. We are not screwing around. We are not doing anything else. Do you know where it is, Link?"

"It's in the kitchen." Lincoln replied.

"But you didn't see it before we left." Fitz muttered quietly. "Okay. One minute until we leave again. Let's go!"

The four of them piled out of the car and went inside. Lincoln went into the kitchen, grabbed his project from the counter, and headed back to the door to wait for the others.

"I gotta go pee." Carter announced.

"Come on, Cart! We've gotta get you guys to school! Can't you wait ten minutes?" Fitz begged.

Carter shook his head no and pushed a hand down to cover his crotch as he started doing a different dance altogether.

Fitz sighed. "Hurry! And do not go anywhere near your room." Carter ran up the stairs quickly. "You'll be in a coma before you hit the bed." He muttered. "I have got to stop talking to myself."

Three minutes later, Carter came down the stairs and the four of them got back into the car without a fuss. Fitz drove them to school and realized they were only about two minutes late. That's not bad. He gave Link and Katie each a hug, told them to have a good day, and watched them walk down the hall to their classrooms. He and Carter went into the office so Fitz could get a visitor's badge. He held Carter's hand and the two Grant men made their way to the cafeteria.

The school cafeteria was a huge open space with jungle themed hand painted animals on the concrete walls. It was a bright fun looking place to be. Fitz saw a lunch lady sitting in front of a cash register as eight or nine kids of various ages sat at long tables eating breakfast at the speed of a slug.

"Hi." Fitz said, giving her his best smile.

"Good morning. What can I do for you?" She asked.

"I'm here to have breakfast with my son this morning." Fitz explained.

"Isn't that sweet? We don't get a lot of parents who take time out of their day to come eat breakfast with their students. It's nice to see that it still happens."

Fitz shifted uncomfortably. She was pouring the guilt on kinda thick. He opened his mouth, but Carter beat him to it. "Daddy said I could have Lucky Chawms because I sleeped a long time this morning."

"Ahhhh, I see." The lunch lady chuckled. "You've got to go to sleep as soon as you get into bed at night so that you wake up feeling happy to face the day instead of tired."

"Yes, ma'am." Carter replied.

"Ohmygod, you are the cutest thing I have ever seen. Libby! Come here and listen to this sweet boy talk!" She called out.

Carter grinned proudly. Fitz did too.

"I'm counting the milk. What is it?"

"Look at this handsome little fella."

Libby smiled down at Carter. "Are you here to get breakfast?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Libby smiled and said, "Such good manners. How nice is that! How come you're so cute, young sir?"

Carter shrugged. "Everybody says I look just like my daddy."

Both lunch ladies looked up at a blushing Fitz. "Kids say the dardest things, huh?"

"They certainly do. Would you both like some Lucky Charms this morning?" She asked Fitz.

Fitz leaned a little closer to the first woman and said, "His mother really doesn't want him eating all that sugar. She says he'll be hyper for hours."

The woman nodded and replied, "It has half the sugar as when we were kids. Made with whole grains too. Still tastes the same somehow though."

Fitz grinned. "Great! We'll take two please."

The two Grants each got a tray and were instructed to get a juice and a milk to go with their cereal. Fitz paid for both breakfasts and they went to sit down at an empty table. "Is it okay if I eat these, daddy?" Carter asked, looking hesitantly at the small self serve bowl with the colorful paper peel lid.

"It's okay this time, Carter. Mommy won't get mad. I promise."

Carter grinned widely, and his father showed him how to pull the paper top off to reveal the cereal underneath. "WOWWW!" Carter said excitedly.

"Can you pour your milk by yourself?" Fitz asked.

"Uh huh. It's a little milk. I can do it." Carter assured him.

Once they had milk in their plastic bowls, the two men dug in. "Dis is so good!" Carter said with his mouth full.

Fitz chuckled at his son. It really was good. Half the sugar, huh? He might look into bringing some home for the kids to eat there. And if he ended up eating a bowl full before bedtime there was nothing wrong with that.

Once the cereal and marshmallows were gone, Fitz showed Carter how to tip the little bowl up, so he could drink his cereal flavored milk. He spilled a little bit on his shirt and Fitz had a moment of panic, remembering his wife's words. One of the lunch ladies brought a damp cloth over and handed it to Fitz to clean Carter up. "It's picture day today. You gotta look handsome for your mommy."

"Thank you." Fitz said and began wiping the tiny wet spot on his son's shirt. "There ya go, Cart. It should be all dry by the time you have your picture taken. And if it isn't, that's what re-take day is for." He wiggled his eyebrows at his son and listened to him giggle.

Fitz and Carter thanked the lunch ladies for breakfast and he promised to come back. Maybe he would bring them some treats from the bakery? Shaking off the thought, he took Carter to his classroom door and squatted down in front of his son while they were still in the hall. "Your shirt is almost dry already, son. I'm glad we had breakfast together at school today. We'll have to do it again soon, okay?"

"That was fun, daddy. Thank you for letting me eat Lucky Chawms. They are my favorite!"

Fitz leaned closer to his son until they were touching foreheads. "Don't tell mommy, but they are my favorite now too." The two of them grinned at each other. Fitz hugged his son and added, "You have a good day okay buddy? I love you."

"I love you too, daddy. You have a good day too. Bye."

"Bye, son." Fitz opened the door and watched Carter walk inside, happy as a clam. He himself felt pretty damn happy and he was going to give the credit to Lucky Charms with Carter."

Fitz walked into the house from work later that evening to find Olivia and the kids playing in the living room. "Hey family! I'm home!"

"Daddy!" Katie ran to him and gave a tight hug.

"How was your project, Link? Did you get a one hundred?" Fitz asked.

"Yup." Lincoln said proudly and showed his dad the grade to prove it.

"Carter! How was picture day?" Fitz asked, swinging his son up in the air until his giggled.

"It was so good. I smiled weally big. And my shirt was all dry just like you said."

Olivia's head snapped to their direction and her eyes narrowed on her husband. "Why was his shirt wet?"

"Well, we had an accident at breakfast. It turns out Bran Rings cereal make a mess. Huh, Cart?"

Carter scrunched up his little face and said, "We ate Lucky Chawms."

Fitz grinned at his wife nervously. Little tattletale. "We did have Lucky Charms."

"Fitz!" She began.

"Liv, the lunch lady said that they have half the sugar than when we were kids." Then he remembered the rest of the healthy spiel and he relayed it to his wife. "And they are made from whole grains now too. So, It's basically health food." Fitz shrugged and turned his attention back to his son, tickling his sides. "You weren't supposed to tell mommy."

He set his son on the floor and kissed his wife. "How was court?"

"It went well. I won my case. Without the continuance."

He gathered her into his arms and whispered in her ear, "Smartass. I'm proud of you."

"Thank you. I'm kind of proud of me too." She put her arms around his neck and rubbed her nose against his. "Thank you for taking the kids to school this morning. That was a big help. I appreciate you."

"Yea? How much?" He asked with a smirk as he licked his lips and crushed his mouth to hers in a hungry kiss.

She pulled away from his mouth and quietly said, "kids."

"Yup we have three of them." He said, his grin still in place. "Let's talk about what you were saying in the car when I took you off speaker phone."

Lincoln came to stand beside his parents, looking up at them as Olivia giggled and flirtatiously pecked her husband's lips. "Mommy? Daddy said I can kiss girls when I'm thirteen. Is that right?"

Olivia dropped her hands from her husband's neck and glared at him before turning her attention to Lincoln and putting on a smile. "I think daddy said the wrong thing on accident. Right, daddy?"

"Yup. Complete accident. I'm uhhh, gonna go eat dinner." He quickly walked out of the room and into the kitchen to escape any possible wrath.

Later that night, Fitz and Olivia crawled into their bed after the kids had been put into their own and silence was once again restored to the Grant home. Olivia turned to Fitz and said, "How was your day?"

He yawned loudly and replied, "It was good, but I was completely useless."

"Whys that? Are you okay?" She asked with a hint of concern.

"I'm fine. Just really tired. This morning with the kids completely kicked my ass. Getting them ready, loading everyone up in the car, having to come back for Link's art project, eating breakfast with Carter, and then going to work myself was insane. I don't know how you do it?" He explained.

"Welcome to my world." Olivia muttered.

Fitz yawned loudly as his wife climbed onto his chest to take possession of her happy place, as was her nightly ritual. He put his arms around her waist and held onto her until she got settled. Olivia was about to ask him if he wanted to talk about the dirty things she had said to him earlier this morning when he took her off speaker phone when she noticed that he had gone still, and his breathing had evened out. She leaned down, pecked his lips with a smile, and whispered, "Lightweight" before falling to sleep herself.


	44. Burning Down The House

Lincoln is 8 years old

Carter & Katie are 7

Burning Down The House

"Hello, Mrs. Grant? This is Mrs. Sparks, the nurse at the school your three children attend."

Olivia had been in the middle of reading a file and taking notes on it when her phone rang. She sat up a little straighter in the chair behind her desk and gripped the phone a little tighter. "Mrs. Sparks. Of course. Is everything okay?"

"It's nothing to panic about. Katherine came to see me complaining of a tummy ache. I took her temperature, just to check, and it turns out she has a slight fever along with her tummy trouble. I looked on the medical sheet you filled out when school started and saw that it was okay to give her children's Tylenol, which I did. She will need to be picked up as soon as someone can get here though because of her fever."

Katie was sick. Olivia knew that Katie never complained about feeling bad, so she must be miserable. "I will leave work now and head your way. I should be there in about a half hour. Is that soon enough?"

"It's fine, Mrs. Grant. Drive carefully. Katie will be in my office, so when you get here just tell the front office that you are picking up a sick child. They will direct you to where we are."

"Thank you, Mrs. Sparks. I'll be right there." Olivia put the file into the filing cabinet and locked it before grabbing her purse and heading for the door. She stopped at her assistant's desk to fill her in on the news. "Yvonne? I've got to go pick up Katie at school."

"Is she alright? She get into a fight? Yell at a teacher in class?" She covered her mouth with her hand and inhaled sharply. "Did she get suspended?"

Olivia scrunched up her face and said, "NO!" She said in an exasperated tone. "None of those things! She's running a fever and I need to take her home, so she can rest."

"You know what's gonna happen next, right?" Yvonne asked in a sing song voice.

Olivia was on the verge of walking away when Yvonne's question stopped her. "No, what?"

"The boys are going to get it too. And then Fitz will catch it. And when you get them all better, you'll come down with it."

"Stop talking RIGHT NOW! I don't want to hear any more of that crazy shit coming out of your mouth! I would rather all three of my kids get sick together than for Fitz to even think he's feeling bad. Do not put that on me! Now, I'm going to pick her up. Send an email to Stephen explaining the situation for me please."

"Kay. Keep me posted. If you need anything, don't call me because I don't want to catch that shit." Yvonne turned back to her computer and began typing an email to Stephen as Olivia walked off.

Olivia was waiting for the elevator to reach her floor and typing out a text to send to Fitz to let him know what was going on. She hit send and the elevator doors opened. There stood Abby in the middle of the metal car all alone. "Where the hell do you think you're going in the middle of a work day?" She asked her friend.

"I don't have time to stop and explain. Ride down with me and I'll tell you." Olivia said, stepping in.

The second the doors closed, and Olivia had begun recalling to Abby the phone call from the school nurse, her phone began to ring. She looked down at the face of it and saw that it was Fitz. "Sorry, Abby. I've got to take this. I'll tell you both at the same time." She touched the screen and said, "Hi, babe."

"My daughter is sick, and you send me a text to tell me about it? Do you really think..."

While Fitz went on a mini rant, Olivia put him on mute and she and Abby exchanged impatient looks. Olivia hit the speakerphone button and in a raised voice said, "QUIET!"

Fitz stopped talking, probably rendered speechless.

Abby shot Olivia a surprised look followed by a silent thumbs up.

"Look, I didn't have time to call you yet, so I sent a quick text until I could call you."

"What the hell was so important that you couldn't stop what you were doing to tell me that our daughter isn't feeling well?" Fitz was on the verge of losing his patience once again and waited until things were explained to him.

"I had to tell Yvonne what was going on and ask her to send an email to Stephen to let him know that I was leaving for the day. I notified you, just not the way you wanted me to." She explained impatiently.

"Where are you right now?" He asked. "I can probably get to the school faster than you."

"It's okay, babe. I'm in the elevator with Abby right now on my way to the car. The nurse said she would be fine until I got there. I'm sorry that I let you know about Katie in a text."

"Hey, SuperGirl!" Fitz said cheerfully.

Olivia shot the phone a confused look. He had just gone from pissed off to pleasant as could be in under a minute. And they said women were a mystery!

"Heya, Fitz. Give our girl a break. She's kicking ass at work and this motherhood thing. It was a text. Nobody died."

"You're right, Abs. Sorry, Liv."

"I always am." The redhead sang. When the two women reached the floor level, Abby kissed Olivia on the cheek and said, "Take care of our Katie. I'll call and check on her later on."

"Thanks, Abs. Love you." Olivia said as she exited the elevator.

"Bye, Abby." Fitz yelled.

Olivia took him off speakerphone and put the device to her ear. "I'm about to get into the car. I'll call you when I have her at home, okay?"

"I'm sorry I lost my mind, babe. Drive carefully and take care of daddy's princess. You want me to meet you at the house? I can help take care of her. I can also stop by the store to pick up anything beforehand too."

Thoughts of Fitz catching whatever Katie had ran through Olivia's mind and made her want to say no. But Fitz would end up in her room after he got home for work and probably catch it anyways. Weighing the pros and cons of the situation quickly, Olivia said, "It would be nice if you could pick up some more Tylenol for her, please. I've got some at the house, but we'll all probably end up with it before it's over. God, I do not want to even think about getting sick right now."

"I'll take care of it, babe. I'll bring home some stuff from the bakery too. For the boys and you. I love you." He was glad she had let him help. He was going to go home even if she had said no. This way was better.

"Thanks, babe. Love you too." She ended the call and dropped her phone in her purse before she drove off for the elementary school. Poor Katie. She had to be feeling terrible sitting at school and not feeling well? She did a mental inventory of medicines they had at home for the kids. She always kept children's Tylenol and bandaids for the boys, who always seemed to have scrapes, but that was the extent of her emergency supplies. Maybe she should have asked Fitz to get some Pepto or something? She'd call him back after she spoke to the nurse and got more information.

Olivia signed in at the front office and was directed to the nurse's office. Her daughter was laying down on the only cot in the room, fast asleep. "Mrs. Grant, I assume?" The nurse asked.

She smiled at the woman in monkey scrubs. "I'm sorry. Yes." The two women shook hands and Olivia went to sit beside Katie. She ran her fingers through her daughter's hair and asked, "What was her temperature?"

"It was only ninety-nine point four. You should keep an eye on it though. It'll probably go up later on. There's something about kids getting fevers at night." The nurse looked at her watch. "She shouldn't need any Tylenol until around three o'clock."

"Has she already eaten lunch?" Olivia asked.

"No, her class hadn't quite gone to the cafeteria just yet. She may be hungry and it's fine to feed her if she is."

"Is there anything I should give her for her belly ache? My nursing skills are limited to Tylenol and bandaids, I'm afraid."

The nurse smiled. "If her belly is still bothering her but she is hungry, you can give her things like toast, applesauce, oatmeal, and rice. Things like that. Nothing heavily seasoned though but only give her small portions of it. If she ends up vomiting, make sure to get some fluids in her to keep her hydrated. Pedialyte is a good thing to have on hand with younger children. It has a long shelf life if unopened and it will help keep those electrolytes in their bodies if they are vomiting. Wait about a half hour to an hour before offering her something to drink after she vomits. Don't force her to drink if she isn't up to it but do try every ten or fifteen minutes to give her something."

"That's a lot of information!" Olivia said.

"It seems like it. But once you've been through it, you'll know exactly what to do should one of your other children become ill. And unfortunately, it usually goes through the entire house. Don't let your husband get it last. You'll have three healthy children and a miserable grown man who constantly needs attention." The nurse smiled knowingly at Olivia.

"You are right on that one. Fitz gets the night duty tonight. Glad to have that settled." She chuckled.

Katie stirred on the cot and began to cry. "Mommy?"

Olivia shifted her daughter onto her lap and rocked her back and forth. "Hey, my favorite girl in the entire world. I heard you aren't feeling good?"

Katie clung to her mother and said, "I wanna go home and get in my bed."

"Let's go then. Daddy is going to be there too. He's going to get you some medicine and help take care of you. Can you hold onto my purse please, so I can hold onto you?" Katie nodded her head that was laying on her mother's shoulder. Olivia picked her daughter up and turned to the nurse. "Thank you for all of your help. I appreciate you taking care of my daughter."

"You're so welcome. I hope she feels better soon."

As soon as Olivia got Katie were in the car, she called her husband. "Fitz? Have you gone to the store yet?"

"I'm just leaving the bakery and about to head that way. What's up?"

"We're leaving the school now. The nurse told me that we should get some Pedialyte in case Katie starts throwing up."

"But I don't wanna throw up, mommy!" Katie wailed from the back seat as tears slid down her face.

Olivia turned around in her seat. "You're probably not going to honey. It's for just in case, okay?" She watched as her daughter nodded wearily and closed her eyes.

"She sounds so pitiful. I'll meet the two of you at the house. Be careful. I love you."

"Love you too."

Of course, Fitz beat them home. When he heard the car pull up he dashed outside, and Olivia watched him go directly to the backseat. "Hello to you too" she muttered.

Fitz opened the door and Katie began to whine. "Daddy! I don't feel good."

"I'm sorry, my beautiful princess." He made quick work of the seatbelt and held her in his arms. "Daddy's got you now though." He patted her back with his large hands and she contentedly laid her head on his shoulder.

Olivia witnessed all of this from the driver's seat with an exaggerated grimace. Ten minutes ago, she was momma's baby in momma's arms. She could see it now. Fitz wouldn't be going back to work until Katie was better. It was going to be a long afternoon. She got out of the car and followed the two of them into the house.

Fitz got Katie upstairs, put her into pajamas, and into her bed. "Do you need anything sweet girl?"

Katie's eyes were heavy, and she looked on the verge of falling asleep again. She licked her lips and croaked out, "Can I have a drink please?"

"I'll go get you something. Don't go anywhere." He kissed her forehead and dashed downstairs at the speed of light.

Olivia was taking the things Fitz had brought home out of the bags. She was wondering what he had purchased that consisted of three filled crunchy store bags when he came barreling into the kitchen. "Where's the fire?" She asked impatiently. "And what is all this crap you bought? I only asked for Tylenol and Pedialyte."

"Do you remember the very first time you got sick when we were dating?" He asked.

"Here we go." Liv grumbled, folding her arms across her chest with pursed lips.

He pulled her into his arms and grinned at her. "Don't you dare mention me trying to freeze you to death in glacier water either." He warned with a chuckle.

"What about it?"

"Remember what happened when your father showed up at your house after I called your parents to let them know you were sick?" The memory filled his head like it had happened yesterday. It seemed like it had happened that recently.

"They took care of me." Olivia shrugged.

Fitz dug his fingers into her sides until she shook with laughter. "It amazes me to this day how your recollection of that day is so terrible. I was already taking care of you. They came over to help me take care of you!"

"What's your point?" She kinda loved it when he told this story and added her own twisted humor to the tale to watch Fitz get defensive. But he knew that already. It amazed her that he fell for it every time.

"Since you were lying in your bed riddled with fever, let me remind you of exactly what happened." He felt his wife's arms go around him and knew she was listening intently to the story he had repeated a million times to her already to make various points in various situations. "Your father walked in the door and raced to your bed where he picked you up in his arms. His adult daughter I might add. Where he proceeded to rock you in his arms and sing 'You Are My Sunshine' to you."

He was so damned adorable. Olivia was smiling and figured Fitz was going to discuss the value of the relationship between a father and daughter, and how his and Katie's wasn't any different than hers and her dads. She still had to give him shit for it. It was her wifely duty. "Like I said, what's your point?" She asked blandly.

"My point is you were a grown woman and wanted your dad. Katie is seven. If I want to race around the house and get her whatever she needs, I'm gonna. You have no right to question it. Okay, smartass?"

"I'm not questioning anything. I knew you'd want to help take care of her, so I figured you'd want to take the night shift tonight?" She hoped he took the bait.

Fitz's face perked up. "Really? I can take the night shift and you'll take care of her during the day, so I can sleep?" Something about her giving in seemed too easy in his mind, but Fitz wasn't going to question it now that she had offered.

"If you want to? I'm guessing you had planned to take tomorrow off to stay at home with us?"

"That would be great. I really do want to help. I'm glad you're letting me. Thanks, babe."

Olivia looked up at him and revealed her smile. "Of course. You know you're kinda cute when you tell that story about me being sick."

This was another familiar conversation between them. It was one he would always give in to. He grinned down at her and asked, "Yea? How cute?"

"So cute that I might be persuaded to..."

"DADDY! Where's my drink?" A voice yelled from upstairs.

Fitz threw his head back and whispered, "shit. I almost forgot." He looked down at his wife with a pained expression. He pecked her lips and said, "Hold that thought." He grabbed the Pedialyte from the table and poured a little of the purple liquid in a cup before dashing back up the stairs.

Olivia watched his retreating back before going back to her task of unpacking the bags. They had everything the needed for an outbreak of diarrhea to a broken bone. He was just as ridiculous as her own father when it came to his sick child. They just handled the situation a little differently.

She was sipping on a cup of coffee when Fitz came back down the stairs nearly an hour later. "Did she keep it down?" She asked.

"No puking." He plopped down beside his wife and admitted, "I almost fell asleep beside her after reading four books though."

"She's crafty like her mother." Olivia said proudly.

"Speaking of her crafty mother." Fitz said, turning towards her. "Let's go back to that thing you could be persuaded to do."

"I wish I could, but it's time for me to go pick up the boys from school." She set her cup down and began pulling on her sandals.

"Baaaaaaabe! We just got here five minutes ago." He whined.

"We've been gone from school for over three hours, Fitz." Olivia chuckled. She put her hands on his cheeks and kissed him. "I'll be back shortly."

Olivia and the boys arrived home thirty minutes later. She didn't see Fitz in the living room where she left him and went into the kitchen. No luck there either. That only meant one thing. He was upstairs in Katie's room. She fixed the boys a snack and told them she was going to check on their sister.

She pushed her daughter's door open a crack and found Fitz laying on his side beside his daughter. Both of them were fast asleep and covered up to their necks with her pink comforter. It was Fitz's equivalent of singing to her and Olivia found it very endearing. Neither one stirred as she tiptoed over to the bed and touched a hand to Katie's head. It was much cooler now and she was thankful the medicine was helping to make her baby feel more comfortable. She tiptoed back out the door, closing it behind her.

"Where's daddy and Katie?" Lincoln asked.

"They are both sleeping so we are going to have to keep it down until they wake up, okay guys?"

"Can we watch tv, mom?" Lincoln asked.

"Do either one of you have any homework?" She asked.

"Not today. But we're going to start learning about the state capitols next week. I'm glad it's Friday." Lincoln replied.

Olivia spotted Carter sitting on the couch, looking bored. "How about you, Carter? Do you have any homework?"

"No." Was all he said.

"A little tv is fine. Not too loud though please." Olivia replied. She spotted Carter already laying on the couch. "You okay, Carter?"

"I'm good. Just tired." He kept his eyes glued to the television and watched it without much excitement.

Fitz came downstairs carrying Katie an hour later. Her put her in the recliner and straightened her blanket. "What are we watching, guys?"

"Cartoons" Lincoln replied without looking at his father.

"How was your day, Link?"

"Good." The transfixed eight year old said.

"How about you, Carteroni?" Fitz asked, looking over his shoulder at his youngest son.

Carter groaned.

"That bad huh?" Fitz asked with a chuckle.

"I don't feel berry good, daddy." Carter said in a quiet voice.

Fitz went to his son. "What's the matter, buddy?"

"I fink I'm gonna..." His sat up, his chest heaved, and Carter threw up on the sofa and the floor.

"LIIIIIIV!" Fitz yelled. It was over as fast as it started. Fitz picked his son up and held onto the now crying boy. "It's okay, buddy."

"What's the matt..?" Olivia began. When she saw the vomit, she dashed into the laundry room and grabbed a towel to put down. "Shit."

He took him upstairs to the bathroom to clean him up. Fitz peeled his son's clothes off of him and Olivia started filling up the tub. Carter was still crying, standing there naked and beginning to shiver. "I'm sorry you got sick, baby. We're going to get you cleaned up real fast and put you on some warm jammies, okay?"

Carter nodded as his father put him into the tub. "It's c-c-ccold!" He whined.

"You know what, Cart? Your mommy was sick once too. A long time ago. And even though she didn't throw up like you did, I had to put her in the tub too."

"Really? H-hhow c-c-ccome?" His teeth were chattering at this point.

"Because she had a fever. Her skin was so hot that even though the water was warm, it felt cold to her because it wasn't as hot as her skin was. That's why the water feels cold to you now, son." Fitz explained patiently as Olivia washed him up as quickly as she could.

"And, and, and the bath made you f-ffeel better?" He asked.

Olivia nodded enthusiastically. "It really did. Your daddy took really good care of me when I was sick. He's really good at taking care of us, huh?" She took a moment to rub Fitz's back and gave him a smile.

"I feel a l-llittle better too. But I din't like frowing up."

Fitz winked at him. "Nobody likes to throw up, buddy. It's yucky!"

"I'm going to wash your hair really quick and then you can get out. I promise." Olivia said as she began carefully pouring plastic cupfuls of water on top of his head.

Fitz stood up and grabbed a towel from under the sink while Olivia finished rinsing Carter's mass of curls. He watched as she spoke to him in soothing tones and even got a giggle out of him, even if it was a half hearted one. When his hair was rinsed, he swooped in and scooped his shivering little boy up and wrapped him in the towel and held him tight. "Let's go get on some pajamas."

"Can I pick em out?" Carter asked.

"Yup. Any ones you want, Carteroni." Fitz said. When they got to his room, Fitz set him down on his bed and went to Carter's dresser. "Which ones do you want to wear? Spongebob?"

Carter shook his head.

Fitz dug through the stack again. "PJ Masks?"

Another head shake.

"Hmmm, how aboooooouuuuut Phineas and Ferb?"

Carter nodded.

"A perfect choice." His dad agreed, bringing the pajamas to his son.

"If you've got him, I'm going to go downstairs and check on Lincoln and Katie." Olivia said.

"We'll be down in a minute."

By the time Fitz and Carter made their way downstairs, Olivia was cleaning the floor and some kind of disinfectant spray hung in the air. "Well, it smells better in here already." Fitz commented as he set Carter on the other end of the sofa, wrapped up in a blanket. "I'll get you some Tylenol and then we need to figure out what we're having for dinner."

"Can we have pizza?" Lincoln asked.

"Pizza might not be the best idea tonight since Carter and Katie are both feeling yucky." Olivia said. "But we can have it when they are all better, okay?"

"Okay." He turned back to the television.

"What are we going to feed them that everyone can have?" She asked her husband. "Rice with applesauce in it isn't exactly making me feel good."

Fitz thought for a minute. "How about potato soup?"

"Perfect. That was on the list."

Katie and Carter only ate a few bites of their dinner and begged to go to bed. Fitz picked up Katie and Olivia picked up Carter to head upstairs. Before Fitz left the room, he told his oldest, "You and me will have some ice cream once we get the twins into bed, okay?"

"Awesome!" Lincoln exclaimed and finished off his food quickly.

"Do you want a book before you fall asleep, Katie?" Fitz asked. Katie shook her head and closed her eyes as her father pulled her pink comforter up to her chin. "If you need anything, let me know. I'm on the night shift. If you're up for it later, we'll sneak down into the kitchen and eat popsicles. Sleep well, princess. I love you to the moon and back."

"Okay, daddy. Love you too." She mumbled.

Olivia had a similar conversation with Carter in his bedroom, minus the popsicle talk, because she didn't know her husband had bought them. "Goodnight, baby. Sleep as snug as a bug in a rug." She kissed his forehead, which was starting to cool off from the dose of Tylenol.

"Nite, mommy." Carter said in a voice thick with sleep.

The parents met each other in the hall. Olivia went to her husband and he gathered her in his arms. "I'm already tired and it hasn't even been a day yet."

"You'll sleep good tonight while I take care of things. We can't have a worn out mommy, now can we? Who will take care of me when I get.."

Olivia pulled out of his arms and pointed her index finger at him with an angry expression. "Do not even finish that sentence, Fitz! You are NOT getting sick! Take the idea right out of your head."

"I was just kidding, Liv. Calm down." He chuckled. Fitz reached for her again, but she evaded him.

"I'm going to call Abby and clean up the kitchen before going to bed. I have a feeling It's going to be a long night."

"Uhhh, I've got the kitchen." He stammered. He didn't want her to find the ice cream or see him and Link eating it. She would have something to say about it. It was man time. He kissed her temple and added, "Go call Abby and go to bed if you want. I'll clean up downstairs and get Link to bed. And I've got the kids tonight."

Olivia eyed him suspiciously. He was up to something, she just knew it. But sleep was important and if he was offering to clean the kitchen, she wasn't going to stand in his way. She'd find out whatever he was up to tomorrow when she talked with Lincoln over breakfast. "Okay. If you're sure?"

"I got it. Do you want me to come back upstairs and tuck you in?" He asked with a smirk.

"Not tonight, but I'll take a raincheck on that. I'll come tell Lincoln goodnight before I go to bed though."

"Why don't you do it now and I'll clean up the kitchen. I'm gonna let him stay up a little later tonight and have guy time with him." Fitz hoped she would just go kiss the boy and leave them to their evening.

He was definitely up to something. But she agreed and headed downstairs. Olivia hugged her oldest tightly and told him, "I'm going to bed in a few minutes, Lincoln. I wanted to come and tell you goodnight and that I love you."

"Love you too, mom." Lincoln said as he hugged her back. When she released him, Lincoln looked over at his father and said, "Are we still having..."

Fitz cut his eyes to his son from the sink and shook his head vigorously back and forth.

"Having what?" Olivia questioned.

"Link, why don't you go put your pajamas on while I finish up in the kitchen. We'll watch cartoons a little longer together?"

Both parents watched their first born leave the room and heard him dash up the stairs. "What the hell are you up to?"

"It's past your bedtime. Besides, this is officially guy time. No girls allowed."

"Fine. I'm exhausted anyways. Don't stay up too late. I have a feeling you're going to be up a lot longer than you think." She carried her phone upstairs with her.

After two bowls of ice cream and almost as many hours of television, Fitz carried Link upstairs and put him to bed. "Thanks for hanging out with me for a while. What happens with the Grant men, stays with the Grant men." Fitz said.

"You know mom is gonna ask me what we did in the morning, right?" Lincoln asked.

"Yea, I do. That's okay. You can tell her what we did. The older you get the more guy stuff we'll do together. We'll do some stuff with Carter too. Guy stuff." Fitz explained.

Lincoln yawned loudly. "Okay. Nite dad. Love you."

"I love you too, son. See you in the morning."

Fitz went back downstairs and put on a movie to keep himself entertained for a while. Before the movie was over, his eyes grew heavy and Fitz was having a hard time keeping them open when he heard footsteps and crying. He jumped up and went up the stairs to see who was up and what was going on. He found Katie stumbling in the hall and the smell of vomit hit his nose.

"Daddy!" She cried. "I got sick. I don't like it."

He squatted in front of her and saw the tears falling down her face. "I'm sorry, baby. Let's go get you cleaned up." He took her into the bathroom and repeated the process he had done with Carter earlier. When she was all clean, and teeth chattering just like her brother had, Fitz carried her into her bedroom and crinkled his nose. He was going to have to clean up in there before he put her back to bed. "Let's get you dressed, and I'll give you some more Tylenol because your head is pretty warm. Then you can sit downstairs while I clean up in here, okay?"

"Mmmkay, daddy. Is my room gonna stink forever?" She asked with a sad pout.

He couldn't help but chuckle. "No, baby. Princesses don't have stinky rooms. I'll take care of it." He put her in a warm nightgown, picked her up, and grabbed a thick blanket from the hall closet to wrap her in. After she was medicated and settled downstairs, Fitz went back into her room armed with Lysol, a rag, and some carpet cleaner. He pulled his t-shirt up over his nose and went to work.

When he finally got her room cleaned up, her dirty bedding in the washing machine, and clean stuff put on the bed, Fitz went downstairs to get Katie. Olivia's exact replica was passed out in the recliner. He picked her up and put her to bed and left her room.

He made himself some coffee and had just sat down to enjoy a cup when he heard a small voice whine, "Daddy!"

Fitz glanced at his watch. It was one in the morning. He went back upstairs and looked around. It wasn't Katie. It sounded almost like...There he stood. Lincoln was in the bathroom standing over the toilet as his little body heaved. At least he had made it to the bathroom! Fitz went in watched his son throwing up. Great. All three of them were sick now. He pushed his hands through his hair and asked, "You okay, Link?"

"I think I ate too much ice cream?"

"I think you caught the twins nasty bug. You done now?"

Lincoln nodded and flushed the toilet.

"At least you didn't puke in your room. Thanks for saving me the fun of cleaning that up. Come on, we'll get you showered and changed."

"Kay." He said and began stripping.

Fitz gave Link some Tylenol and put him back into bed. He was truly feeling bone tired now and had no interest in ever seeing puke again. He wondered if he could catch a short nap before anyone else woke up? He got himself comfortable on the dry end of the couch and closed his eyes. He had just drifted off to sleep when he was being poked and his name was being whispered repeatedly. He willed himself to open his eyes and found his wife leaning over him with a blanket hanging off of her shoulders. "What is it?" He asked and jumped up. "Wassummatter?"

"Did you turn the air conditioner on?" She asked.

He rubbed his still tired eyes with his fingers and squinted up at her. "What?"

"It's freezing in this house! Can I lay with you?"

Fitz was completely awake now. He eyed his wife. She didn't look well. He cursed under his breath. He hadn't touched the air conditioner. Hadn't had time to! He reached a hand up and touched her forehead. She was very warm and definitely had a fever. Shit. The night shift had just turned into the day shift.

He took her hand and led her into the kitchen as she shuffled beside him. "What are we doing? I just wanna lay down, Fitz." She whined.

He smiled to himself wearily as he instantly realized where their children got their whine from. "You have a fever babe and you need some Tylenol." He popped out two of the white caplets and handed them to her and went to pour her a glass of water. He watched her take the medicine and led her to their bedroom. "Do you want to take a bath?" He chuckled.

"Stay away from me, Fitzgerald!" She warned and dropped his hand as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Quiet. I was just kidding. Get your perfect ass into bed so I can hold you close and keep you warm." Of course, Olivia immediately crawled on top of his chest and promptly fell asleep as his arms held her close. He fell asleep right behind her. Accidentally of course.

When he opened his eyes a few hours later in the early morning hour, Fitz tried to stretch but realized his wife was still on top of him. He touched her forehead and breathed a little easier knowing it felt normal. Something was touching his leg, and Fitz turned his head to see Carter in bed with them. He heard a sigh on his other side and turned his head to see Katie there too. He picked up his head and found Link asleep beside his brother. When did the three of them come and get into their bed? Fitz pulled the blanket over everyone and enjoyed the quiet puke free moment with his family.


	45. Plotting

Lincoln is 10

Carter & Katie are 9

Plotting

Olivia and Fitz were sitting side by side on the sofa, hunched over a laptop that was sitting on his lap. Lincoln, Carter, and Katie had all been kissed goodnight – some against their will because they were too cool for that now – and had been tucked into their beds and were fast asleep. Both adults were sipping on hot coffee and enjoying the quiet as they put the finishing touches on their perfectly plotted plan from the comfort of their living room.

"You're not seriously considering driving that long of a distance, Fitz?" She asked in a voice that quite plainly said that they were not doing that.

"Why not? It could be...an adventure!" He said with a smile. The truth was plans had already been made as to how they got to their destination, but Fitz loved to get his wife all wound up. "And you have a great sense of adventure."

"I am not sitting in a car for more than seventeen hours with three kids when this thing could be taken care of in less than three hours on an airplane." She knew what he was doing. She couldn't understand why she always took the bait though?

"It would be good for the kids to see America. The eastern part at least. Besides, do you know how much airfare is going to cost for five people? I think you're dreaming."

"And I think you're dreaming if you believe that I'm going to ride in a car for that long. There is nothing to see on the eastern side of the United States, and we are NOT going to stop to see the nation's biggest ball of twine. The kids don't care about that stuff." Fitz opened his mouth to speak, probably to rebut what she had just said, but Olivia steamrolled right over him. "So, you will be driving alone in the car with the kids while I fly solo in the peace and quiet of first class if that's the plan."

"For your information, smartass, the world's biggest ball of twine in found in Cawker City, Kansas."

Olivia began to laugh at her insane husband.

"And that is definitely not on the route to our happy destination. Maybe we'll get to see it next summer though?"

"You know you're crazy, right?" She said still laughing. "Like certifiably so."

He set the laptop down on the coffee table in front of them, put his hands on Olivia's waist, and pulled her onto his lap. "Yea, but you love me and that's all that matters."

"You are very cute when you are planning the family vacation though." She teased.

He grinned at her and asked, "Yea? How cute?"

Olivia knew that would be his reaction and couldn't stop the smile as it spread across her face as she heard the familiar words. Still, she got up off his lap and grabbed the handles of their empty coffee mugs and carried them into the kitchen, placing them into the sink to be dealt with in the morning with the breakfast dishes.

"Liv?" Fitz called from his spot on the couch. "You didn't answer my question."

She had him right where she wanted him. Feeling bold and in control, Olivia went into the living room, stood right in front of him, and said, "If you can catch me then I'll tell you how cute you are." She bolted up the few steps and raced towards their bedroom. Olivia knew Fitz was right behind her without having to turn around. She was about to turn the doorknob of the master bedroom, go inside, and claim victory, when his two large hands grabbed her by the belly and picked her up, carrying her into their room.

Fitz kicked the door closed, never missing a step, and kept moving towards their large bed. Olivia was giggling loudly when he unceremoniously dropped her on top of it. She tried to get away from him, but Fitz anticipated that and grabbed her foot, pulling her back towards him. "Ohhhh no you don't" he teased. He flipped his wife onto her back and pounced on top of her with a huge grin on his ridiculously handsome face. He smiled down at the love of his life and quietly said, "I caught you, babe. Now, I believe you were about to tell me allllll about how cute I am."

Olivia stuck her tongue out at him and watched as his playful blue eyes focused on it with laser precision.

"Stick that tongue out one more time, wife, and I won't be responsible for what happens next." He knew his rebellious wife well enough to know that she would indeed do it again, and he watched her mouth like a hawk stalking prey. Sure enough, her small pink tongue poked out from between her plump lips and she licked them slowly before giving him a teasing smile. That was all that was needed to turn him from a playful tease into a raging ball of need. She drove him crazy in the best possible ways and Fitz hoped it never changed. "You asked for it."

He grabbed her arm and pulled her to standing up and immediately pulled her shirt up over her head. Fitz caught the victorious smirk his wife wore and knew she would be screaming from that mouth soon enough. For now, though, he covered her mouth with his own and kissed her as if his life depended on it as his hands yanked her pajama bottoms down. He knew he had her right where he wanted her, quivering with need, when she stepped out of them quickly and put her arms around his neck, pouring herself into the kiss.

Another instinct of Olivia's that Fitz counted on and was rewarded with, was when he picked her up, she wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her to a nearby wall as their lips stayed fused together and pushed her back against it as he held her in place. He pulled down the front of his own pajama pants and wasted no time driving himself into her.

She broke the kiss on a delirious groan of satisfaction and dug her fingernails into his back. Fitz loved how that felt every time she did it. He considered her claw marks a badge of honor for pleasing her so well. "This is gonna be fast and...mmmm...hard so hold onto me. I'd hate to drop you on your ass."

She licked her lips again and with a sensual look, said "do your worst big guy."

What happened from there was as if the Tasmanian devil got caught up in a tornado. It was wild and hurried and loud and very satisfying for both of them. Fitz did almost drop her because his knees buckled. Both of them sank to the floor in a contented puddle of heavy breathing boneless skin. Fitz slapped her ass and panted out, "We...should do that...more often."

"Carry me to...bed. I can't move." She whined.

Fitz chuckled. "I was gonna ask you to carry me."

"God, we're pathetic." Olivia laughed.

"If this is pathetic, we are really good at it." He said grinning. He picked his wife up into his arms and stood. They swayed wearily for a second and both of them laughed. Once again, he dropped her on the bed before going into the bathroom to relieve his bladder. When he came back and got under the blankets, Olivia was covered up to her neck.

"Ohmygod, Fitz! The kids are going to freak OUT!" Olivia quietly but excitedly said to her husband.

"I know! I can't wait until they figure out what's going on. They are going to be so excited! I can't wait to see their faces." Fitz replied with a huge grin.

"I've never been there before either so I'm excited too."

"Wait! What?" Fitz yelled.

"Shhhh! You're going to wake the kids up with your yelling!" She said with a playful grin. "No one has ever loved me enough to take me there."

He rolled over, covering her body with his, and looked down at her. "Do you want to rephrase that, wife?"

She pretended to think and then casually said, "no." Fitz dug his fingers into her ribcage causing her to laugh loudly and beg him to stop.

Of course, her words gave him ideas. "You know damn well that you're the screamer in this room. How your kids sleep like rocks while you are making so much noise is beyond me."

"Shut up." She tried to push off him off of her, but he kept in place and chuckled at her. Feeling satisfied, Olivia put her arms around his neck and whispered, "You know, this is our last quiet night alone for the next four days."

"And still you weren't able to refrain from screaming. So much for a quiet night." He said with a smirk.

"You shouldn't be so good at making me scream."

He dipped his head and kissed her. "I love to make you scream, babe."

"I don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight." She said excitedly.

"Ten bucks says you'll be out like a light within the next five minutes."

She yawned loudly and mumbled, "I hate you sometimes."

Early the next morning, the sleepy Grant family sat around the breakfast table eating their food in between yawns and mindless chatter. "Liv, I was thinking that we could go for a drive today?"

"Yea?" She asked. "Where do you feel like going?"

He shrugged and sipped his coffee. "I dunno." Fitz looked at his kids and knew that in a matter of hours their faces would have a much different expression on them. "Do you guys feel like going out for a while?"

"How long are we going to be gone?" Lincoln asked. "I have homework to do."

Fitz scrunched up his face at his firstborn. "It's spring break, Link! There's no homework this week."

"Yea huh. Mrs. Johnson gave us a writing assignment. What I did on my spring break." Lincoln rolled his eyes dramatically.

"It's gonna be a short paper, Link. "Carter replied. "I went for a car ride with my parents. The end. How boring is that gonna be to read in front of everyone?"

"Shut up, Carter." Lincoln fired back.

"You shut up!" Carter replied.

"Both of you be quiet!" Fitz commanded. "You sound like me and your uncle Thad when we were kids. He was so annoying."

"Right? Carter is the annoying little brother just like uncle Thad was to you. Thanks for understanding." Lincoln held his palm up for his dad to smack but instead he got 'the look'. Lincoln concentrated on his cereal and remained quiet.

"Don't ever repeat this, but I was just as annoying to him as he was to me." Fitz informed his son.

"There's a news flash we didn't see coming." Olivia said dryly. She was also given 'the look' but she ignored it. "They still fuss with each other and they are grown men."

"Babe? That's not the point I'm trying to make." Fitz said with sarcasm. "Let's go on a little trip. It'll be fun you guys! I promise." His kids were not responding the way Fitz wanted them to and it was kind of irritating.

"I'll go, daddy." Katie chirped.

"That's my girl." Fitz praised.

Both boys watched the interaction between father and daughter and rolled their eyes. "I guess I'll go. It'll give me something to write about at least." Link said in a bored tone.

"I can't stay here by myself, so I'll go too." Carter added.

"Good. Because you weren't going to have the option of not going. This way is much easier." Fitz said smiling at his kids. He looked at his watch and added, "We are leaving in thirty minutes. Be in the living room ready to go please."

The five of them put their dirty dishes into the dish washer and the kids went up to their rooms to get supplies that would help ease the boredom of a road trip with their parents who were constantly kissing in public. Headphones, hand held devices, and a few art supplies would keep them distracted from the disgustingness that was their parents.

Thirty minutes later, all five of them were in the living room ready to go. They walked outside, got into the car, and put on seatbelts. "Where are we going anyways?" Lincoln asked. His brother and sister looked at their parents wanting for the answer.

Fitz looked at Olivia and kissed her lips as loud groans came from the back seat. "It's a surprise."

"Dad, we're not four anymore where going to the grocery store is an adventure." Link replied.

"We're going a lot further than the grocery store, son." Fitz chuckled.

They were acting weird. Like they had some super huge secret they weren't sharing. It made Lincoln wonder exactly what was up? He hoped they weren't having another baby! "How much further is the drive?"

Fitz sighed and chose his words carefully. "It depends on which grocery store you're talking about."

"The one we always go to." Lincoln said with sarcasm.

"It's not much further than there." And he knew he wasn't lying. The five of them would be at the airport soon and would then catch a flight that would take them a lot further away. But Link had asked him about the drive, so Fitz felt no guilt because the airport wasn't a lot further away than the store he was talking about. Dad logic, he thought to himself with a smile. "Just sit back and enjoy the ride, dude. We'll be there before you know it."

Carter spoke up, imitating the SpongeBob narrator's bland voice and said, "Two hours later." It earned him a chuckle from his older brother, which put them back in good terms with each other. Brother code was a weird but very real thing Carter knew.

According to daddy, we would be in the car for about forty-five minutes. That wasn't so bad. Katie didn't understand why the boys were so impatient and always made a big deal about everything. She wished she had a sister instead of two brothers. She glanced over at them. They had their faces in their handheld games and were not so quietly cheering each other on in whatever battle they were fighting. Boys were so weird. Except for daddy. He was perfect. "What are we doing tomorrow? I was going to ask if Elizabeth, Megan, and Sophie could come over."

"Good idea, princess! We haven't seen the ladybugs in a while!" Fitz says.

Olivia turned around in her seat to address her daughter. "I think spending the day with the girls could definitely be arranged. Maybe you all can even spend the night together tonight?"

Link and Carter groaned their disapproval loudly. "That's too much girls." Carter complained.

"That would be so much fun!" Katie said with a huge smile. "Thanks, mom."

"Dad?" Lincoln asked, looking out the window.

"Yea, son?" Fitz asked nonchalantly as he parked the car. He knew what his oldest was about to ask.

"Uhhhh, why are we at the airport?"

"Yea. What are we doing here, daddy?" Katie asked as she craned her neck to look around through the window.

Fitz turned around and looked at his kids. "I said we were going further than the store. And we did. Now we are going to get on a plane and go on a secret adventure. Who's up for that?"

"ME!" The three of them shouted happily.

"We're really gonna ride on a plane?" Carter said to his brother.

"I wanna sit by a window, dad." Link requested.

"Yea, me too!" Katie pleaded. "I want to be able to see everything outside."

"I don't wanna sit by the window, mom. I wanna sit by you." Carter said with big eyes.

Olivia smiled at her youngest son. "You can sit by me, but I'm also sitting by your dad and there will be lots of kissing." Fitz grinned at his wife and wiggled his eyebrows. They both knew the kids were embarrassed by their public displays of affection, but they had no plans to stop because of it.

Carter's face crinkled up instantly. "That is so gross!" He ran through the possibilities in his mind, but his fear got the better of him and he added, "I'll wear headphones, so I don't have to hear it."

Olivia caught on to Carter's nerves and it made her feel a pang of guilt. But then she remembered the seating arrangement and the guilt dissipated. "You might not want to sit by me anyways." When Carter opened his mouth to speak, she said, "Remember. Secret adventure. Just wait until we get there. You can sit by me if you decide to, okay?"

Carter nodded, and Olivia leaned back to kiss his cheek, but her youngest son jerked back from her with a horrified expression and in an embarrassed tone exclaimed, "MOMMM!"

"You're too big to kiss me all of a sudden?" Olivia teased.

"I'm not." Fitz pulled her back into her seat and smiled before touching his lips to hers. More groaning from the backseat before they broke it up. The kids were too easy to get riled up.

The five of them poured out of the car quickly and Katie suddenly got a panicked look on her face. "Do we need a suitcase or something?"

"We should have had more girls, Liv." Fitz said proudly, and put his arm around his daughter.

"Don't be picking on my boys, Fitz." She warned. Link and Carter smiled smugly at their father.

"If everyone will go to the back of the car please and pick up their own bag." Fitz directed as he popped the trunk.

"You guys packed our stuff?" Lincoln asked. "Mom please tell me you didn't pack me baby clothes."

"You outgrew those a long time ago, Lincoln. But I did put a few bibs in there in case you need them." She teased. She enjoyed the look of horror that crossed his face. "I'm kidding. I packed you the stuff you like to wear. And a few surprises for each of you too."

"That's cool. Thanks, mom." Lincoln said, giving her a small side hug.

His thanks prompted the others to chime in and give hugs too. "Thanks, mom."

"Thanks, mom" Fitz said with a smirk and pecked her lips.

"If you guys are gonna kiss all the time I'm not going." Carter whined.

"Carter, my boy, one day you will like to kiss girls." His dad replied and handed his kids their backpacks one at a time.

"But not until your thirty." Olivia chimed in.

"Why do I have to wait until I'm thirty? Link's kissed a girl already." Carter informed them.

"SHUT UP, CARTER!" Lincoln shouted before dropping his bag and lunging at his brother. The two of them ended up on the ground scuffling like mad men. "You weren't supposed to tell anybody!"

"Hey, hey hey!" Fitz yelled. He jumped in between them and pried the two boys apart. "What the hell is wrong with the two of you? We don't fight!"

"I wonder where they learned that from?" Olivia muttered. Fitz shot her a look and she smirked and looked away.

When the two Grant boys seemed to have given up attempting to kill each other, Fitz let go of them. He turned his attention to his oldest. And smiled at him. "You kissed a girl? When did that happen?"

"FITZ!" Olivia said with exasperation.

Lincoln glanced at his mother, who was shooting daggers at his father with her eyes. Deciding his dad was the calmer of the two at the moment, Lincoln looked up at his father. He smiled back shyly and shrugged. "It was last week. Right before the bell rang at the end of the day."

"Her name is Juuuulieeeee." Carter sang proudly with a wicked grin on his face.

"Carter Fitzgerald!" Fitz warned with narrow eyes.

Carter rushed to his mother's side but watched his father and brother.

"Babe, can you three start heading in without us? We'll catch up in a minute."

"No. Fitz, I want to..." She began.

"Liv, this is a man to man talk. Give us a minute. Please." When she continued to stand there, Fitz assumed she was unsure if she should leave her first born in the hands of his father for this particular moment. Fitz added, "I'm not going to encourage him to get married tomorrow. We'll be right behind you."

She glanced at her watch. "The three of us will be coming back out here in exactly five minutes. Do not fill my baby's head with a bunch of nonsense!" She glanced at both of them one last time before saying, "Come on you two. Carter, you really shouldn't have said anything about that if you told your brother you wouldn't."

Carter's voice could be heard whining, "Awww, mom."

Lincoln and Fitz watched them until they were about a hundred feet ahead of them before they slowly started walking towards the airport doors themselves. Fitz put an arm around his son's neck and said, "Don't worry about your mother. She still thinks of you as a baby and it's hard for her to think that the three of you are growing up."

"I don't want to hurt her feelings or make her mad. She's scary when she's mad."

"Tell me about it." Fitz joked. "The fact is, you are getting older and you and I will need to talk about different things from time to time. I want you to know that I'm here if you have any questions. I don't know everything there is to know about women, and I never will. You won't either. They are a mystery to every guy. But as your dad you can come to me if you have a question. About anything. Okay?"

Lincoln stopped walking and looked up at his father. He seemed like he was being honest and serious. He nodded slowly and said, "Thanks, dad. I've never kissed a girl before, but I've seen you and mom kiss a bajillion times. But it wasn't goofy like when you and mom do it."

"Well, that's a comfort son." Fitz laughed. "You didn't make her kiss you, did you?"

"No way! She's been passing me notes about it for a long time." Lincoln admitted.

"Good. You might still be a kid, but as a guy you are to respect women always and act like a perfect gentleman around them. Do you know what that means?" Fitz assumed he didn't.

"It means to be nice to 'em, and hold the door open for 'em, and stuff."

"Yea. And stuff." Fitz chuckled. His son was growing up and kissing a girl. Where the hell had the time gone, he wondered. "I'll talk to your mother about all of this later. She'll probably get a sad look on her face when she looks at you. You know how she is."

"Yea." Link said. "But I kinda like it that she's like that. It means she loves us a lot."

"She definitely does, Link." He looked up and saw her practically dragging the twins towards the two of them. "Oh look, here she comes now. Quick, act like I just yelled at you and put on a sad face."

Lincoln did as he was told. He was trying really hard not to smile though as he watched his mother marching closer to them. He was grateful that his dad had talked to him alone, without the twins or his mom around. It made him feel more comfortable talking about stuff, even girl stuff, with him. It made him feel like he was being taken seriously and he felt older too.

Olivia went to Lincoln. "Are you okay, baby?"

Behind her, Carter pointed at his brother and pretended to laugh. Mom had just called Link baby.

Lincoln would deal with his brother later on. "Yes, ma'am. I'm fine. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings or made you mad." He hugged her for good measure.

Damn, Fitz thought proudly. This kid knows how to work his mother. He even said ma'am, which was Olivia's weakness. He waited for the mom tears and grinned at the two of them.

"You didn't hurt my feelings, Lincoln. You're just growing up faster than I would like." Olivia sniffed and was trying like hell to hold back the tears at her little man. "You should talk to your dad about guy stuff. He's very smart and he mostly gives good advice." She glanced up at her husband and winked at him. "But I'm here too, if you ever need me."

"I'll always need you, mom." Linck hugged her again.

"What the hell is going on over here?" A familiar voice boomed. "Why is everybody hugging like somebody died or something?"

"POP!" Katie squealed before she ran to hug him. "What are you doing at the airport today?"

"I was in the neighborhood and saw the five of you over here." He explained.

"What a small world!" Another voice said.

"Grandad?" Carter asked. "You was in the neighborhood too?"

Nathaniel chuckled and hugged his grandson. "Something like that."

"Nana and Mimi are here too?" Lincoln took off to hug his other two favorite women in the world.

"Gangs all here!" Somebody else called out. Lincoln, Carter, and Katie turned their heads and saw their uncle Thad, aunt Robin, and all three of the girls heading towards them. "We have got to pick a better place for a family reunion next time, guys." Katie reached them first and was happily chatting away with her three cousins.

"What is going on?" Elizabeth asked.

Lincoln stood beside her and said, "They haven't told us anything either."

The adults looked to the four grandparents and the kids followed suit. Nathaniel and Thomas were standing beside each other wearing matching conspiring grins. "We are taking our family on vacation together." Nathaniel announced.

"Where are we going, Pops?" Megan asked.

"I'll tell you when we get on the plane. Now, let's go get checked in and get rid of all this damn luggage. Follow us!" Thomas said loudly.

"Pops said damn" Megan announced with a grin. She loved saying the curse words and this was her way of saying them without getting into trouble.

Everyone was checked in and the large group walked single file onto the plane. The parents pointed out the seating arrangements, and for once, everyone was happy with where they were assigned. The kids were together, and the adults were together. Close enough to keep an eye on them, but far enough away that no one would be groaning if kissing took place.

Before Thomas sat down, with a line of people behind him waiting to sit in their own seats, he looked at his grandkids and said, "Kids, we are going to DisneyWorld for the week!"

Loud cheering was heard throughout the plane as the kids clapped, said thank you, and then began plotting of their own. The Grant cousins were all together and they were going to Florida for an entire week of fun. This was going to be the best week ever!

To be continued...


	46. Disney

Disney

The large group of fourteen boarded the plane and stowed their carry on luggage. The kids had chosen to sit together on the plane, as planned, which made it easier for the grown ups to discuss the upcoming days of the vacation. They all arrived in Orlando without any problems.

Upon arrival in Florida, they all went to dinner together where the conversation was loud and as animated as their final destination. Thomas checked them all in and keys were distributed to the adults. And one key was discreetly handed to Elizabeth with a wink from her grandfather. Everyone had then gone to find their cabins to get settled and get ready for bed because they all had an early morning followed by a busy day packed full of activities in Magic Kingdom.

Thomas had paid for an extra cabin so that all of his grandchildren could sleep in their own space and be as loud as they wanted to. His decision had been questioned and scrutinized by both Olivia and Robin as they worried about the safety of their kids alone, but Fitz and Thad had swayed them to reason that the benefits would be just as mutual for them as well as their children. None of that really mattered once Thomas had impatiently explained, "It's their vacation too, girls. Let them feel a little bit grown up. You're both on either side of them so it's not like they are going to sneak out and do anything. Besides, Lizbeth is in charge. She's seventeen years old now! She won't let them do anything crazy."

Lizbeth had smiled proudly and assured her mother and aunt that nothing would happen. That didn't stop Robin or Olivia from walking over to peek into the windows every half hour to make sure of it. And it didn't stop Thad or Fitz from making fun of their wives for being worry warts either. Once the kids were in for the night, the doors had been locked and the law had been laid down. No one was to open the door for any reason until morning. The kids were fine with that now that they were together. It still made Robin and Olivia slightly nervous, but once they hit their beds everyone was out like a light.

Olivia was in a deep sleep. Once she had come to terms with Elizabeth being old enough to keep a few kids in line, and not the quiet six year old Olivia remembered when she had first met Fitz, she dropped to sleep like a stone. She stirred in her sleep, but wasn't awake yet. Something in her subconscious tugged and pulled her to stay in her perfectly peaceful dream like state, but something else was trying like hell to get her to open her eyes and join the land of the living. She tried to ignore whatever was on the other end of the tug of war, but Olivia began to slowly and reluctantly swim to the surface. As her body fought its way from her beloved sleep with a crinkled brow she wondered, what was that feeling?

A moment later, her eyes flew open. She knew exactly what that feeling was! She threw the thin sheet off her body and found Fitz happily nestled between her legs, doing what he did best with his tongue. His head snapped up and he stopped his work long enough to grin at her. "What do you think you're doing?" She asked with a playful smile.

"If I have to explain it to you then I'm not doing it right." He said, smiling back.

"You always do it perfectly right." She began. "I just meant..."

A knock sounded on the door. "Come on. Get your asses up! This ain't a couple's retreat, sonny!"

Olivia turned her head and looked at the clock on the bedside table in their cabin. 6:14? "Is he serious?"

Fitz looked up at his wife with a grin. "The old man always was an early riser. Perks of being a teacher I guess?"

She moved to get up and get the day started but was held firmly in place by her husband's large hands. "Fitz? Let go! We've got to get up."

"Why?" He asked full of confusion.

"Because your father just knocked on the door and is probably doing the same on everyone else's as we speak. Get up!" She tried to move again but was once again held in place by him. "Fitz!"

The grin never wavered. "How many times have you slept on my chest?"

Completely caught off guard, Olivia's face was the picture of confusion. "What? Why are you asking me that?"

Fitz gave her a patient smile and silently waited for an answer.

Olivia huffed out a breath. "I don't know! A few dozen, I guess?"

Both of Fitz's eyebrows went up. "I'm sorry. What did you just say? A few dozen? Really, Liv? That's nowhere close to the number I had in mind. A much more realistic number, if I had to guess, would probably be closer to..."

"Fine! A thousand! Feel better now?"

"Much."

"What the hell does that have to do with..."

"What is it you call that spot? When you sleep on my chest? You've given it a name. Something adorable if I remember correctly?" He was teasing her and enjoying the hell out of it too.

Olivia rolled her eyes and prayed for patience. "You know what I call it, Fitz." She said in a bland voice.

"Humor me for a minute." He absently drew circles on her belly while he looked into her chocolate eyes from his spot between her thighs.

She was beyond impatient at this point. Anger was seeping through. "You know damned well that I call it my happy place, Fitz. Now what is this all about?"

"That's it." He said with a nod. "Your happy place. And have I ever told you to leave your happy place?"

"No, you haven't."

"Bet your ass I haven't. Because I love the feel of your skin on mine. Just as much as I love to have you close to me and hold you until you fall asleep." He dipped his head and ran his tongue slowly up her center, feeling her squirm and inhale sharply, before making eye contact with his wife once again and adding, "THIS is my happy place and I'm not leaving it until I hear you screaming."

He dipped his head again and, in his mind, ended the conversation.

"F...Fi...Fitz!" She panted out as her eyes rolled in the back of her head. He never stopped his work but moved a hand up between her breasts and effortlessly pushed her back flat onto the mattress.

Everyone gathered together outside their cabins about forty minutes later and the large group made their way down the gravel path toward the bus station. The adults all looked tired and were dragging some, but the kids had excitement in their eyes and the ones who had taken their parent's hands were anxiously pulling them towards the land of the mouse.

After dining on a huge all you can eat breakfast at 'Ohana, the overly full group headed outside to catch the monorail to the theme park. While they waited, the six kids compared signatures they had gotten at the restaurant from Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Lilo, and Stitch. Pictures had been taken of each family and the entire group. It was a great start to their vacation at the happiest place on earth.

When the monorail pulled to a stop in front of them, the Grant/Pope party was first in line. Thomas had made sure they got to breakfast early enough so they could get to the park when it opened. A Disney employee walked toward them to let them board but paused in front of them. "Have the six of you ever ridden on the monorail?" She asked the kids.

Six heads slowly shook back and forth silently.

"It's a big day then! How would you like to ride up front with me this morning?" She asked.

The Grant kids excitedly shouted, "YEAAAA!"

The employee looked at the adults and said, "Where are you folks headed this morning?"

"Magic Kingdom." Fitz said with a smile.

"They will be completely safe up front, and I won't let them exit the monorail until you are off and meet us up there, okay?" She chirped. She leaned a little closer and added, "They'll each get a pin of the monorail. We do it all the time."

Olivia became hesitant, and Fitz put his arm around her and said, "That would be great. I'm sure they will love it. Thank you." They watched as their kids hurriedly piled into the big front car and then the adults got into their own behind them. "You heard her, Liv. They'll be fine. You gotta let go a little bit."

"I'm allowed to be nervous. My babies are sleeping in their own cabin and riding separate from me at a vacation spot we've never been to."

Fitz pulled her onto his lap and whispered in her ear. "Do you wanna make out on the monorail?"

She grinned and kissed him between giggles.

"Em, tell your son he's not sixteen anymore for god's sake." Thomas sputtered.

"Oh hush, you old goat. You could take lessons from your son. He's being romantic."

Fitz broke the kiss on a loud laugh at his mother's words and whispered, "It's about to get interesting in here." He turned to his mother and exclaimed, "Mom for the win!" He held his hand up for her to high five, but she simply stared at him. "Dad, do you want me to give you lessons in romance? I am pretty damned romantic, if I do say so myself."

Thomas crinkled his nose at his oldest. "You do realize that there are only fourteen months between you and your brother? I think I have a pretty good track record, sonny."

"He did not just say that." Robin said with wide eyes.

"That's not romance, dad. That's sex. And stop talking about it because you're creeping me out." Thad said making a face. "You and mom don't have sex anymore. Just stop talking."

Thomas grinned at his youngest son. "That's exactly what your mother said this morning to me. Thomas, stop talking."

"Thomas Grant! That's enough!" Emma sputtered.

"Liv said something like…"

Olivia clamped her hand over her husband's mouth. "Nope! We are NOT talking about what I said." She warned.

Fitz licked her hand and she quickly removed it and wiped it on his shirt. "Your parents are so cute when they are trying to be embarrassing." Olivia chuckled. "But you're not."

"Let's never bring this up again." Fitz muttered.

"Silence is golden but let me tell you about the wolf thing." Lila chimed in with a grin of her own.

"Now, Lila." Nathaniel began shaking his head. "You know these people cannot handle the details of the wolf thing."

"Ohmygod!" Olivia muttered burying her head in her husband's chest.

"I have wondered about the wolf thing for years, Lila. Please enlighten us." Fitz encouraged.

"Momma, don't you dare! You all can gather around the fire pit tonight while I'm sleeping and talk about it."

"Who said you were getting any sleep tonight?" Fitz murmured into her neck.

The monorail pulled to a stop and the heat from the adult car rushed out the moment the doors opened. Everyone seemed to take a breath and then hurriedly exited the car, making their way to the front to collect the kids. Six ridiculously huge excited grins poured out of the car behind the same employee who had invited them in.

"Look mom! I got my very first Disney pin!" Carter shouted and shoved it into her face. "It's the monorail just like this one! Isn't it cool?"

"Yea, baby. That's great. What do you all say to her?" Olivia asked. The Grant herd all gave her warm hugs and said thank you before happily walking away.

Once they were inside the park, the four girls wanted to see Cinderella's castle and begged loudly through the boy's groans until the large group made their way in that direction. "It's so big!" Sophie said, looking up to the top.

"And beautiful." Elizabeth added. "I want to live in a castle someday."

"Me too." Katie sighed.

"Only princesses live in castles, dummy." Carter said rolling his eyes at his sister.

"Carteroni, don't call your sister dummy. That's uncle Thad's nickname." Fitz scooped his daughter up in his arms and said, "You already live in a castle and you are my princess."

Katie stuck her tongue out at her brother victoriously.

The other end of the castle was Fantasyland, which seemed fitting for this group. The girls wanted to ride the carousel, but the boys quickly vetoed that idea. In fact, everything in that area of the park seemed stupid to the boys. The Dumbo ride, It's A Small World, Ariel's Grotto. It was not a place for guys.

Fitz and Thad opted to take the boys to Tomorrowland with Thomas and Nathaniel to ride the quicker moving stuff while the girls enjoyed Fantasyland with their mothers and grandmothers. The guys couldn't get out of that place fast enough and when the Racecar speedway came into view, the six of them broke into a run.

Thomas looked at Nathaniel and said with a smirk, "We are about to kick their asses all over this racetrack!"

"Dibs on the blue car!" Nathaniel called out as they got into line.

"I want a red one!" Lincoln said to no one in particular.

"I don't care what color my car is." Carter said, moving along in the line.

"Cart, you wanna ride with me?" Thad asked. He wasn't sure if his nephew could reach the pedals on the car to make it go.

"Are you scared I'm gonna beat ya?" Carter teased.

"What did you just say to me kid?" Thad asked.

"That's my boy!" Fitz said with a laugh. He held his hand up and his youngest son slapped his palm with his own. "Uncle Thad isn't that great of a driver anyways, Cart. You can beat him with your eyes closed."

"Yours is the first car I'm going to ram into, Fitz." Thad threatened.

"I'm gonna ram into Link's car." Carter teased.

"You won't be able to find my car, dude. You'll be too busy eating my dust." Lincoln said with a smirk that looked just like his fathers.

"There's a lotta smack talk going on right now." Nathaniel said, jumping into the conversation. "I like it!"

"What do you say we show these youngsters how to race a car Nathaniel?" Thomas asked with the same smirk Lincoln wore.

"This oughta be good." Thad said mildly. "We are not going to let these two geezers, no disrespect Nate, show us anything but how to lose, huh boys?"

"No disrespect taken. But, Nate?" Nathaniel asked.

"Yea, it kinda rolls off the tongue. I like it. So, you're Nate from now on." Thad explained with a grin.

Thomas smacked Thad on the back of the head. "His name is Nathaniel, dumbass!"

"When it's just us guys, he's Nate. I'd never call him that in front of Lila. That woman scares me." Thad admitted.

They were standing in front of their cars waiting for one to return so they each could get into their chosen automobiles. When they were finally parked in front of them Thomas said, "Just get in the car and show us what you got, big mouth."

Lincoln and Carter laughed and looked at the line up of the cars before choosing theirs. Lincoln whispered something to his brother and they both grinned mischievously and climbed into their own cars, putting on their seatbelts. The youngest Grant males were behind their father and uncle and they took great joy in ramming into the back of them every chance they got.

"Cut it out, Link!" Fitz shouted from over his shoulder.

"You sound like a girl, dad." Lincoln said and rammed him again while laughing like a lunatic.

"Fitz! Your kids are deviants! I thought you taught them some manners or something?" Thad complained. He felt a bump to the back of his car and turned in his seat, pointing his finger. "Hit me again, Carter, and I'll tell your mother!"

"Who do you think paid me five bucks to hit you in the first place?" Carter said laughing. "The rest of the hits are free."

Nathaniel and Thomas cruised by, not getting involved in the craziness that was the Grant men. "Keep at 'em boys. Pops will pay you a buck each time you hit them, and I'll give you an extra dollar on top of that if you can get them to whine like babies."

"Link!" Fitz said on a laugh of his own as his son hit the back of his car again. "He was just playin around. If you think that old man is gonna pay you then you are just as delusional as your uncle Thad."

"I'm having fun even if he doesn't pay me." Link laughed.

Lincoln and Carter had the front of their cars pressed firmly to the backs of their father and uncles. Thad looked over at his brother. "Tonight the old man goes DOWN!"

"I'm in. Whatever it is!" Fitz said, giving a thumbs up.

The six of them got off the ride and the two older Grant brothers grabbed the younger ones and held them upside down by their ankles. "That was supposed to be fun, boys."

"It was fun for us, uncle Thad." Carter replied giggling and holding onto his shorts, so they wouldn't fall down.

"Daddy!" A female squeal was heard from a distance.

"Oh shit. Put 'em back up or your wife will kill both of us. She thinks these two brats are angels or something." Thad muttered. "Hey Soph. Did you guys have fun in girl world?"

"Daddy! It's Fantasyland, not girl world." His daughter informed him.

"Close enough" He muttered to his brother. "Well, did you have a good time, sweet pea?" He asked in a louder voice.

"Sort of. Mommy and aunt Olivia bought us new outfits to wear tomorrow. LOOK!" She proudly showed him the pink t-shirt and pink and white polka dotted shorts. "Isn't it pretty?"

"Liv?" Fitz shot her a look. "All of you females already own more clothes than all of us guys put together. Do they really need new clothes? You know how the mouse overcharges."

Olivia stood in front of him with two large bags in her hands. "Relax, big man. I bought you something too." She fished inside the bag and pulled out a blue t-shirt that simply said ME TARZAN with the silhouette of the animated character on it swinging on a vine. "It's cute, right?"

He crinkled up his face. "I'm not wearing that."

"For thirty-seven ninety nine you will! Besides, what if I wear this one?" Olivia held up a pink t-shirt that said I LOVE TARZAN. She saw the sparkle in his eyes before he even agreed to it. He was too easy.

"Does that mean you'll swing from my vine later?" He asked with a smirk as he put his arms around her.

"See! That's why I didn't buy Thad a Tarzan shirt. Too easy to make sexual innuendos. Nothing sexy about Grumpy." Robin explained and threw Thad's shirt at him. "You know, that Tarzan looks a lot like you, Fitz."

He looked back down at the shirt Olivia had bought him. "Nah. I don't see it."

"It kinda does, babe." Olivia said.

"Are we done looking at clothes? You two can shop at home. We're on vacation for god's sake. Let's go have some fun."

All of the kids followed their grandfather while Fitz and Olivia took a moment to share a kiss. They broke apart when Carter was heard saying, "They're kissing again!"

And then Lincoln's voice could be heard saying, "Leave 'em alone, Cart."

Fitz put his arm around his wife and followed the crowd of relatives. "Looks like our son doesn't think kissing is gross anymore."

"It's amazing how that happens once you've actually kissed someone." Olivia remarked.

"Let's go ride Space Mountain!" Lila shouted. "Mimi needs a ride to cool her off from all this heat."

"What's Space Mountain?" Sophie asked.

"It's a roller coaster in the dark and it's so much fun! I haven't ridden it in a long time, but I think you'll like it. You can sit by me if you want to?" Lile offered.

"That would be great! Thanks, Lila." Sophie gushed.

"Does anyone want to sit this one out?" Thomas asked. He paused for a moment and then added, "If you don't plan on riding it, I'm disowning you right now."

"Dad!" Fitz said on a laugh. "Don't tell your grandkids that!"

"I'm in my sixties and I'm gonna ride it. Let's go kids!"

The line was a long one, but eventually they all made their way onto the little one seater cars. It took a while for all of them to get a turn since there were so many of them and everyone loved it and wanted to go again. So, they got back in line again and entertained each other as they waited their turn.

"I'm hungry, dad." Katie whined.

"I'm hungry too, Thad." Robin chimed in.

"Okay gang," Fitz said clapping his hands together. "Let's eat!"

They went inside Cosmic Rays Starlight Café and got into line for food. Fitz turned to his family. "This place does burgers and chicken. Which one do you want?"

"Chicken" Katie answered.

"Yea, me too dad." Carter replied.

"Chicken is fine with me." Olivia said.

"Link?" Fitz called out. His oldest was enthralled with something and wasn't paying attention. "Link?" He asked in a louder voice.

"Huh?" Lincoln said, turning his head around.

"What do you want to eat? Burger or chicken sandwich?"

"Uhhhh, burger please." Link said and turned back around.

"What are you looking at?" Fitz asked the back of his son's head.

"Whatever that thing is over there." His son replied pointing.

"What in the hell?" Fitz mumbled. Now all three of his kids were looking at it. It was some animatronic animal playing a keyboard and singing. Huh. Weird even for Disney standards. "Ok, why don't you guys go find us a table close to that thing? At least we'll be entertained."

The three of his kids as well as Thad's three girls darted out of line to find somewhere to sit.

"Your kids are weird." Thad said.

"You mom is weird!" Fitz shot back on a laugh.

"Mom? Did you hear that?" Thad sang out. "Your first born just said you're weird."

"You're such a tattletaleing little bitch, Thad."

"Mom!" Thad said in a whining voice, even though he was smiling. "Fitz just called me a name."

Emma broke in the line and came to stand between her sons. In a hushed voice she angrily whispered, "will the two of you shut the hell up before I smack you both?"

Robin, Olivia, and Thomas clapped and cheered. Thad and Fitz glared at the three of them.

"So, what do you want to do to the old man tonight?" Fitz asked quietly.

Thad grinned at his brother. "Something good! Maybe we should ask the kids? Nobody comes up with crazy shit to do to their parents like kids do."

"Tell me about it. Link told me yesterday before we left that he's kissed a girl."

"WHAT? He's like three? He's not supposed to be kissing girls yet!" Thad exclaimed. "I bet his mother had a stroke!"

"Actually, Carter told us. In front of Link."

"Ohhhhh shit! He broke bro code? And Lincoln didn't kick his ass?" Thad asked.

"He tried to." Fitz grinned. "Knocked him to the ground at the airport and started wailing on him."

Thad shrugged. "They are Grant boys, and Grant boys don't play." He punched his older brother in the arm.

"Hit me again and I'll knock the shit out of you." Fitz warned.

"You couldn't fight your way out of a paper bag." Thad commented. "What did Liv say about all of it?"

"Sheeee freaked out a little. He's her baby and all that."

"The boy is practically a man now."

"Yea, well, she doesn't see it that way. I got rid of her and the twins and had a man to man talk with him about it. I told him I was here if he needed to talk about anything. It was a good moment." Fitz recalled.

"Jesus. Did you wipe his ass when you were done? Boys just told you he kissed a girl."

"And what? I should have bought him a cigar and a porche?"

Olivia stuck her head between them. "We can all hear you by the way."

"How ya doin' Liv?" Thad asked and kissed her cheek.

"You two are fools." Robin chimed in. "Get me a chicken sandwich. I'm going to sit down before anyone thinks I'm here with you."

"Oooooooh! Burn!" Fitz laughed.

"Shut up, man. Now, back to dad. What are we gonna do to him for showing his ass earlier?" Thad asked.

"Let me think about it for a while. We'll get him good though. Not heart attack good, but mad as hell good." The two brothers high fived and ordered food for their families.

Back out in the park the group went to get in line to ride the Buzz Lightyear ride followed by the people mover. The kids loved the faster moving rides but were getting hot, so Lila looked at the map and suggested they go watch a show in the air conditioning. They left Tomorrowland and made their way back over to Fantasyland and went inside the Mickey's Philhar Magic.

The air conditioning hit them like a cool blast of arctic air and lots of ooooh's and ahhhh's could be heard from the entire crowd as they entered. "Smartest mother in law in the world!" Fitz exclaimed and kissed her cheek.

"Don't you be using that charm on me, Fitzgerald." She replied giggling.

"No ma'am. Wouldn't dream of it." He said grinning. "But will you sit by me?"

"Stop trying to steal my other girl" Nathaniel told his son in law and sat down beside her in the auditorium.

They watched countless parades, rode so many rides, ate some amazing food, and still weren't ready to go back to their cabins. When the sky started to turn dark they remembered the advice given by a friendly couple who sat beside them while watching a parade earlier and headed towards Cinderella's castle to watch the fireworks show.

They weren't as close as they would have liked, but they all found space to sit down on the curb and waited for the sky to continue to darken and the Happily Ever After show to start. They had never seen so many people gathered in one place in their entire life. Olivia remembered thinking the same thing when Lincoln started school, but the amount of people looking up at the castle was astounding from her view.

The sky was completely dark and the beautiful castle was lit up somewhat. And then a loud voice said, "And they all lived happily ever after." Loud excited cheering could be heard from the crowd as the show started. Enchanted singing could be heard as lights played across the castle as well as colorful animated characters from their favorite movies. Beautiful fireworks of every color flashed up into the velvet sky while the happy singing continued.

Instead of watching the fireworks show, Fitz watched the faces of his children. Their bright eyes were glued to the spectacular light show and occasionally they would nudge each other and point out something that was familiar to them. Their ages were not a factor and being cool was long forgotten in this magical place as their smiles stayed in place during the entire display. He wished they could stay this age forever. Stay in this moment forever. He felt a tear slide down his cheek and turned his head to quickly wipe it away before anyone saw it. This damned place!

The fireworks and music died down and a voice said, "and so our journey comes to an end. But yours continues on. Grab hold of your dreams and make them come true. For you are the key to unlocking your own magic. Now go. Let your dreams guide you. Reach out and find your happily ever after."

Fitz took his wife's hand, pulled her to standing. She had tears in her eyes as well, Fitz noticed, as he pulled her into his arms while they stood behind their children. She held him tightly and said in his ear, "best vacation ever!"

He smiled and tightened his grip on her and told her, "you're my happily ever after. God, I love you so much." He brought his head back from her neck and kissed her. Right there in Disney World. When the kiss ended they stood side by side with an arm around each other's waist and watched the grand finale together.

"THAT WAS AWESOME!" Lincoln shouted.

"Can we come back tomorrow night and watch it again, daddy?" Sophie asked.

"No can do, Soph. We'll be at another kingdom tomorrow night. But they'll probably have fireworks there too." Thad explained.

Her eyes got big. "Mickey has more than one kingdom?"

"That mouse has more kingdoms that you have clothes!"

"So which one are we going to tomorrow, dad?"

"Animal Kingdom. It's probably not gonna be much fun. We really should just head home as a matter of fact." Thad said, baiting anyone who would fall for it.

"NOOOOO WAY! We're staying. Right mom?"

"We are." Robin looked at her husband and shook her head back and forth. "If your father wants to go home, he's going all by himself."

"It's probably too late to get a taxi back to New York tonight. I guess I'll stay with you bunch a GIRLS. For protection and stuff." He explained and put his arm around his wife.

"You couldn't protect an ant farm, dumbass." Thomas said.

"Pops said dumbass" Megan happily chimed.

"Why must you start him up every time, Thaddaeus?" Emma asked.

"Because it's so easy?" Thad replied with a smirk.

"Time to head back to the cabins. We've got another early morning tomorrow." Thomas said on a yawn.

"Let's get the kids a souvenir cup before we go, babe." Olivia said a she held his hand and they made their way out of the park.

When they reached Main Street, USA Fitz ducked into a shop with his brood and purchased them all a cup with the famous mouse on it, full of soft drink. Fitz saw his brother inside the shop and received a cold glare from him as Thad watched his niece and nephew drinking from their new cups.

"Dad, I want a cup too." Elizabeth said. When her father gave her a pained look, she added, "Don't be such a tight wad."

Thad pointed a finger into his brother's chest. "I blame you!" Fitz grinned at his brother as he and his family looked around the store.

"I want to soak my feet in a hot hot tub." Olivia sighed.

Fitz pulled her onto his lap and whispered, "Is there gonna be room for me in that bath scenario?"

She grinned at him and whispered back, "It's been a while since we've taken a bath together."

"Is that a yes?" He asked, grinning back.

She kissed his cheek. "I think that can be arranged."

"Are you two ever NOT all lovey dovey with each other? It's kinda gross." Thad whined.

"You could take a lesson in romance. You and dad both!" Fitz provoked.

"Do not start, Fitzgerald, or there will be no bath together." Olivia warned in a whisper.

"But, no we're not. We fight all the time. I'm thinking of leaving her in fact." He looked at his wife and asked, "Better, babe?"

"Too far." Olivia said, laughing.

They walked back towards the cabins, and Thad and Fitz walked side by side at the back of the pack. Every so often one of them would laugh loudly. Whenever someone would turn around to look at them, Thad would point at his brother and say, "What? He farted." It always made the nosey person turn back around in disgust.

The kids were taken into their cabin and given instructions to take showers. Carter protested the loudest, but when his mother reassured him that he would be able to sleep later in the morning if he showered tonight, he perked up some and demanded to be first in the shower. When they all had their pajamas on, Olivia and Robin went to their own cabins to get ready for bed.

"I'm going to start the bath." Olivia informed her husband.

"I'll be back in a minute. I've got to give Thad his wallet back." Fitz explained.

"Why do you have your brother's wallet, Fitz?" She asked.

He knew she would ask and had a lie ready. "We were comparing driver's license photos and I forgot to give it back to him." When Olivia shrugged, he knew he was home free.

He closed the door to his cabin and went down the steps. They had a signal planned out, so they could find each other in the pitch black night and Fitz waited for it. Two minutes later, he heard a noise that he'd never heard before. His eyebrows sunk as his eyes scanned the area for whatever wounded animal the noise was coming from. He saw nothing but continued to hear the same sound. He didn't move, afraid to draw attention to whatever was lurking in the darkness. Where the hell was Thad, he wondered to himself.

The noise could be heard again. And again. Finally, he heard his brother whisper, "Hey dick head!"

"Thad?" Is that you?" Fitz whispered back. He couldn't see shit out here.

Footsteps could be heard until Thad stood in front of his brother. "How long have you been out here?"

"I dunno. Like five minutes. Why?"

"I've been calling you with the signal for at least that long! Why didn't you answer me?" Thad angrily whispered back.

"What the hell are you talking about? I haven't heard anything except for a dying crow or some shit." Realization hit him immediately. "Wait. Do the sound now."

"What? Why would I do it now? You're right in front of me, douche bag."

"Do it!" Fitz spat out.

"What are you gonna do if I don't?" Thad asked cockily.

"Don't do it and find out." Fitz threatened.

"Ooooooh! I'm scared. Mary is gonna hit me."

"Make the fucking sound!" Fitz commanded.

"Jesus, you're touchy. Fine." Thad made the sound that Fitz had heard from the moment he stepped outside.

"That is NOT the signal we agreed on! Whatever the hell THAT was, sounds nothing like a macaw! Why did I think you could do this simple thing?"

"I'm sorry I didn't go to fucking macaw school, Fitz! I improvised. Are we doing this or what?"

"Yea, we're doing this. Although, you could just stand outside mom and dad's window and make that sound and he will think some wild animal is about to eat him." Fitz laughed.

"Fuck you. Let's hear your macaw impersonation. You think you're such hot shit." Thad challenged.

"We don't have time for that, Thad. Olivia is running a bath for us right now. We need to do it and get the hell back in our cabins as if we were never outside. Got it?"

"You guys take baths together?" Thad asked in a surprised voice. "Does Liv keep your balls in a glass jar or something?"

"Shut up before I kill you in these woods. Mickey and the gang will come and eat your carcass before your body even gets cold. You know the plan, right?"

"We only went over it a hundred times on the way back here tonight. Stop acting like you're a Navy seal or some shit. You're a baker, dumbass."

"I swear to god, I'm about three seconds from kicking your ass."

"You gonna count to three before you do it, like Robin used to do with the girls when they were little?"

That broke through Fitz's aggravation. He started laughing and then couldn't stop.

"Do you get mental when you miss bath night or something?" Thad asked.

"Olivia tried that counting thing a long time ago. When it didn't work, she gave up on it. It was just a funny memory because at one point Lincoln was counting to three with her." Fitz said still laughing.

"That is one brave kid." Thad said chuckling. He slapped a hand on his brother's back and said, "Let's go annoy the shit out of the old man."

"He will murder us in our sleep you know."

"Probably. It'll be a great last memory though." Thad said, still laughing.

The two of them quietly walked towards their parent's cabin. When they got there Thad pulled the keys to his father's rental car out of his pocket. "He is going to lose his fucking mind."

"It's what he gets for getting cocky at the race track today." Fitz chuckled.

The brothers hid on the side of the cabin, away from the front door, and Thad activated the car alarm. The noise was deafening, and the two idiots laughed as the headlights blinked along with the racket. It wasn't long before the front door flew open and they heard their father swearing a colorful sentence for all to hear. "Em, where are the keys to this piece of shit?"

Thad chuckled and dangled them in front of he and Fitz's faces.

"How should I know? You had them last. I'll go look in the cabin. That thing is gonna wake up the neighbors." She said before slamming the door.

Thad held up one, two, then three fingers before pushing a button on the keyring and turning off the alarm.

The door opened a moment later. "Thank god! Where were the keys?" Emma asked.

"I don't have them, Emma! The damned thing just turned off all by itself."

"That doesn't make any sense though. Did you..."

Thad pushed the button again and the car alarm went back to blaring loudly. Fitz and Thad high fived each other giddily.

"Go look for the damned keys, Em! I don't have them!" He shouted.

Thad turned it off again.

"That is the strangest thing I've ever seen." Emma replied.

"The damned thing is malfunctioning or something. Damned foreign cars! I knew I should have asked for a..."

Thad pushed the button again and the two men giddily watched their father lose his mind. The cursing roared from Thomas' mouth with great fervor. It was the funniest thing either man had ever seen and their laughter grew louder than either one of them intended. A Disney security car pulled into their parent's driveway and Fitz pulled Thad further back into the shadows beside the house.

"Good evening. I was just cruising by and heard the car alarm. Is everything okay?" The guard asked.

"Does everything look okay?" Thomas snapped from the small wooden porch.

Fitz grabbed the keyring and pushed the button, turning off the alarm. "We've got to get the hell out of here. NOW!" The two men ran toward their own cabins as fast as they could in the dark. "We've got to ditch the keys!"

Thad bounded up the few steps and opened the door of his cabin and ran into his wife. "Where the hell have you been? And tell me you didn't have anything to do with whatever is going on next door."

"Pffff, what? No! I was taking a leak in the woods and thought it might be fun to take a bath together." Thad shut the door behind them, leaving Fitz to figure out what to do with the keys.

The next cabin was the one the kids were in. The lights were out, and everyone was asleep. Fitz dashed up the steps and put the keys on the welcome mat before running to his own cabin. He took a moment to get his breathing back to normal and then opened the door and went inside. "Liv?" He called out.

"I'm in the tub." She replied from behind a closed door.

We did it, he thought to himself. And the kids will get blamed for screwing with the car. He opened the door and saw his very sexy wife up to her neck in bubbles. "Hi."

She smiled at him. "Hi. You getting in?"

"Yes ma'am. I'm a very dirty boy." He said as he pulled his t-shirt up over his head.

"Just the way I like you." She flirted.

When his clothes were off, Fitz jumped into the garden tub and ran his hands all over his wife's body. Best vacation ever.


	47. Big Kids Are Cool

Lincoln is 12

Carter & Katie are 11

Big Kids Are Cool

School started on a Wednesday this year. It was a strange day for the beginning of a new chapter in the twin's lives, but a half week to adjust to the surroundings of a new school was better than a full one, so neither of them complained. Much.

The school district was set up in their small town so that half of the kids on one side of town went to one elementary school, while the kids that lived on the other side of town went to another. When the students were old enough to enter junior high, they all went to the same one together. And those same students went to the same high school together afterward as well.

As it normally happens in junior high school, sometimes old friendships from elementary school become obsolete as students intermingle with people they have never met before. New friendships are formed, and students who were once best friends sometimes become enemies or no longer speak to each other.

"Come on, Carter!" Katie pled with an eyeroll. "I don't want to be late on the first day of junior high!"

"What's the big deal, Katie? It's junior high, not medical school. Calm down. Besides, you're a straight A student. The teacher probably won't even care if you're late." Carter wasn't as interested as his sister in getting to school at the crack of dawn. He wasn't interested in school at all.

"The teacher doesn't even know me yet because it's the first day!" She replied sarcastically. "We're still picking up Anna, right mom?"

"Okay, you two. Let's get the ball rolling. First day of a new school year is important. You have to make a good first impression." Their mother chirped. "And yes, we are picking up Anna."

Carter studied his mother for a moment. She wasn't fooling him. She wasn't a morning person either. He was convinced that he got his loathing for mornings from her and no one could tell him otherwise. It made him wonder why she was so chipper this morning of all mornings? When his dad came down the stairs and joined them in the living room Carter turned his attention to his father.

Carter was sitting on the edge of the sofa tying his shoelaces but watched his dad walk up behind his mother and put his arms around her. His mother smiled and held onto his forearms as his dad kissed her cheek. The two of them were always touching each other and kissing. Carter was glad his parents were happy, but they were so gross about being lovey dovey all the time. At least they weren't divorced like his friend Sam's parents. But still, they could take it down a notch or two.

"You're gonna come by the office today? Olivia asked her husband.

"Yes ma'am. I am taking my sexy wife out to lunch this afternoon." He replied and patted her ass.

"If you come before eleven thirty you know that the two cling-ons will want to come too."

Fitz brightened. "Good idea! I haven't seen Yvonne since the kids last birthday, and Abby always keeps things interesting. Eleven twenty five it is."

Olivia shook her head back and forth at him. "Give me a kiss before me and the troops leave."

"I always give you a kiss. I haven't missed a morning yet." He said, turning her in his arms to face him.

"But today is a big day. The twins are starting junior high." She put her arms around him and held on. "I'm kinda sad."

Fitz chuckled in her neck. "You find a reason to be sad about everything these kids do, Liv. They are growing up. Maybe we should have another one?" He was rewarded by the look of shock on his wife's face. It made him chuckle again.

She pulled away from him. "Do you want to? I mean, like really?"

"No, not really. Are you insane?" Fitz sputtered with wide eyes. She had to have lost her damned mind talking about having another baby! "They are all out of diapers, off bottles, can sleep through the night without being held or rocked, and some weekends they are out of the house at their friend's places. Why would we want to start over at this point? They will all be in college in eight short years."

"Look at them, Fitz! They are so big now. Don't you miss having little kids in the house?" Olivia did miss hearing little feet running around, their precious giggles, and their willing desire to sit on her lap and let her hold them close. These days she was lucky to get a hug before they got out of the car as she dropped them off at school each morning. Her babies were becoming teenagers. She could be sad if she wanted to!

"Please tell me you guys aren't seriously thinking about having another baby?" Lincoln asked with a horrified face. "That's so gross."

Fitz reached out to ruffle his son's hair, but Lincoln saw it coming and evaded his father's hand. "Why is that gross?" He asked patiently. The truth was Fitz had no desire to have more kids. He and Olivia had three amazing kids. They were intelligent, cute as hell, had big hearts, and just the right amount of sarcasm in them. It was what every parent wanted for their kids. He knew Olivia was dealing with the fact that their kids were getting older and would be gone soon. Its what kids were supposed to do. Having another baby would only prolong the inevitable.

"Because you guys are old. If you had another baby you'd be, like eighty when he or she graduated high school. It'd be weird." Lincoln would say whatever he had to to help his parents see that having another baby at this point wouldn't be a good idea. He was pretty sure his father was on board with that idea, but he also knew that his mother could easily sway his father into anything.

Turning to his wife, Fitz said, "You hear that, Liv? We're old!"

Olivia gave her oldest an annoyed look. "I heard."

"For your information, dude, there's a guy in India who had a baby when he was ninety-six years old. How old am I now?" Fitz asked with a smirk. "I don't even have gray hair yet."

"Yea, you do, dad. I've seen you with your shirt off while you were cutting the grass." Lincoln explained.

"Face it dad, you're old." Carter said with a snicker.

"Why would we want more kids when we have these brats, Liv?" Fitz asked sarcastically.

"Don't be picking on my boys." Olivia said, giving them a smile. "Go ahead and get in the car guys. I'll be right out."

"I don't think you're old, dad." Katie said as she walked out the door.

Fitz pulled his wife into his arms once again. "See. She doesn't think I'm old."

"She thinks you walk on water, Fitz. She's never going to say anything bad about you."

"Do you think I'm old?" He asked.

She grinned at him. "You're not too old to cut the mustard, and that's what matters to me."

"I can lick the jar pretty damned good too." He replied grinning at her. "Do you really want another baby though? In all seriousness?"

"I have my moments when I think that I do. The three of them are growing up so fast, but they've been doing that for a long time now. I thought they were grown on their first birthdays. I had no idea how hard it would be to watch them get even bigger. I just can't believe the twins are starting junior high already. It.."

"I know, makes you sad." He finished for her.

"Yea."

"You know you're looking at this all wrong though, right?" He said suggestively.

His eyes were sparkling blue and full of mischief. Olivia couldn't wait to hear how her husband thought she should be thinking of the situation. "I'll bite. How should I be thinking about this?"

"Do you remember when we first got married?" His grin grew wider and he leaned down to peck her lips. "We were all alone and there were no kids around to tell us we were getting old. It was quiet and peaceful and there was a LOT of naked time. Remember that?"

"I do remember that." Olivia said, tightening her hold onto him. "I also remember crying all the time because we weren't getting pregnant and wanting a baby more than life itself. Remember that?"

He sighed. "I do. And now we have three, who even though they aren't babies anymore, still need us to help them navigate life and give them hell every so often. Our job isn't done just because they are in junior high, babe. We still have seven years with them before they leave for college. And even if we did have another baby, he or she would grow up just as fast and eventually move out too. Besides, big kids are cool to have around too. They really hate it when we kiss or hold hands. We should do that more often to show 'em whose boss."

Olivia laughed at him. "You are ridiculous. Go to work. I'm going to take our babies to school." She grabbed her purse, hooked it on her arm, and opened the front door.

Fitz patted her ass once more and said, "I'll see you at lunchtime. I love you."

"Love you more." She said as she headed down the steps.

"It's not possible." He watched her walk down the steps in her high heels and added, "I will admit that I do miss pregnancy ass though." She looked over her shoulder and gave him a smirk as she added more wiggle to her walk.

The twins found their classes without a problem and both silently thanked their mother for walking them to each one during open house a week ago, so they wouldn't get lost in the much larger school. They had the same lunch period since they were in the same grade but didn't sit near each other. Eye contact was enough. They were in junior high after all.

Katie sat next to her best friend since first grade, Tracey, and the two of them discussed how their day had gone so far. The two girls only had one class together, but one was better than none. "This place is huge! I wonder how many kids have gotten lost already?" Katie wondered aloud.

Tracey shrugged and continued to eat her sandwich from home.

A loud commotion across the cafeteria caught everyone's attention. Katie and Tracey looked in the direction the noise had come from and noticed it was at Carter's table. It was, in fact, Carter who was the center of the situation. A tall boy had just flicked Carter's lunch try onto the floor and was currently standing beside him.

"Hey!" Carter loudly exclaimed.

"What are you gonna do about it sixth grader?" The larger boy asked. Jonathan Tittle had seen the smaller boy walk into school this morning and had decided to make his life a living hell for the next three years here. It would make the time pass more quickly to have someone to pick on.

"You're a sixth grader too, idiot." Carter replied. "Or you wouldn't be in this lunch."

"No one said you could talk." Jonathan sneered. "Besides, you're sitting in my spot."

"There are no names on these seats." Carter looked around and noticed that almost every eye in the cafeteria was on the two of them. "Go sit somewhere else."

"Move your ass, pipsqueak! I said this is my seat." Jonathan threatened.

Carter looked up at him. Jonathan was a good six inches taller than he was. Carter was pretty sure there was no way he could take him in a fight, but he wasn't interested in fighting him anyways. Besides, his mother would kill him if he got into a fight. He waited a beat, while everyone watched, and then silently got up out of the seat and moved to a different table. He caught Katie's eye when she stood up to usher him to her table, but he shook his head at her. He wasn't going to let her help him with this.

Jonathan chuckled as he sat down and a few of the kids at the table high fived him. He congratulated himself on picking a smaller boy who had no chance of defending himself against him. He'd even bet that kid had been a nobody at his elementary school too. He hoped the boy got used to being a nobody at junior high as well.

After lunch Katie watched her brother go into his classroom while Jonathan walked beside him and flicked his ear or called him names. She felt bad for her twin and wanted to help somehow. They would discuss it when they got home this afternoon. She went in her own class. Math with Mr. Barron. She remembered him being friendly at open house and Katie excelled at math. She was excited for class to start.

Just before the bell rang, signaling that everyone should be in class, the boy from the cafeteria walked in and sat down beside her. Katie glared at his profile and flicked her eyes down to her desk before he turned to look at her. She wanted to wipe that smug look off his face.

"Hey beautiful. Got a pencil I can borrow?"

Katie looked up to see who Jonathan was harassing now. He was looking right at her. She stared at him for a long moment, not saying anything before she finally replied with a curt, "no."

"Awww come on. I can tell that you are the type of girl who is organized. I'll bet you have at least three pencils in your backpack right now?" He smiled at her and waited for her to answer.

Katie glanced at her backpack that was slung over her ugly beige chair. She had four pencils inside it, but she wasn't going to tell him that. And she certainly wasn't going to share with him. He had just bullied her twin brother. Creep! "I don't. Sorry."

"You have really pretty blue eyes. Like, they are the same color as the sky. What's your name anyway?" He asked.

Katie wanted to tell him her name was get lost, but the teacher had just cleared his throat in an attempt to call the class to order. Thankful to be saved from answering his question, she turned to face the front of the room. She still felt Jonathan's eyes on her as Mr. Barron spoke. It was super creepy.

"Everyone needs to fill out this sheet saying they understand the rules of the class and then hand them to the person in front of you. I'll collect them all when you've completed them." Mr. Barron counted the number of students in each row and gave the person in the front seat enough to pass back.

When Jonathan was given one for him and the two students behind him, he turned to look at the pretty girl sitting beside him as he held the papers just out of the reach of the person behind him. He grinned as he focused his attention on the boy behind him trying to get the sheets from his hand. He dropped them behind him, not caring if they landed on the kid's desk or the floor. He turned back to the girl beside him. She was very pretty, but there was something familiar about her. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on. He ignored it and again asked, "Are you sure you don't have a spare pencil I could borrow? Please?"

Katie huffed loudly and reached into her bag, handing him her plainest pencil and went back to filling out the sheet she had just been given. If loaning him a pencil would shut him up, she'd gladly do it.

"Thanks, babe." Jonathan said, winking.

Katie looked him in the eye and firmly but plainly told him, "Don't call me babe. It's what my parents call each other and it's special. You aren't special. You don't even know me. So, don't ever call me babe."

Jonathan grinned at her. Whatever her name was, her eyes turned almost gray when she was fired up. It made her even prettier somehow. "You're gutsy. I like that. Thanks for the pencil."

Katie ignored him. She knew anything she said would make things worse somehow. She might have to sit beside him, but she didn't have to talk to him.

Time droned on just like Mr. Barron's voice, and the bell eventually rang. Katie stood up to leave but was stopped by her pesky neighbor. "Here's your pencil back, beautiful."

"Keep it." Katie said, and walked out the door to her next class.

The rest of the day went by quickly and Katie went upstairs into her bedroom, shutting the door. She put her backpack down and immediately knocked on her brother's door. "Cart? Can I come in?"

"Yea." He mumbled.

Katie opened the door, leaving it cracked, and her nose crinkled at the mess that greeted her. Carter had clothes all over the floor and his bed was unmade. The smell of stinky male lingered in the air. It was obvious that a guy lived in here. "I'm glad we aren't roommates anymore." She joked.

"Did you just come in here to give me a hard time about my room? If you did, you can leave." He replied angrily.

"Sorry, Cart. You were so quiet on the way home when mom was asking us about our day."

"I didn't have a lot to say." He said defensively. "It's not like I could tell her that there's a kid who was bullying me on the first day of junior high. You know how she gets."

"I saw what happened in the cafeteria and I know you didn't want my help, but I'm here if I can do anything." Katie offered.

"There's nothing you can do. I just have to hope that he was trying to have some fun on the first day and is over it by tomorrow. I don't want to imagine that he will be this mean to me for the rest of the year."

Carter sounded so miserable to his sister's ears. She opened her mouth to reassure him somehow, but the bedroom door opened behind them. Katie turned around and saw Link standing in the doorway.

"What are you guys talking about?" Lincoln asked.

"Nothing." Carter answered quickly.

Link raised his eyebrows at his little brother. "I heard you say that someone is bothering you at school. Is that true?"

"No!" Carter said.

"Yes!" Katie said.

"Spill it, Katie. What's going on?" Link said as he shut the door and came to sit down beside his brother on his bed.

Katie told the story of what had happened at lunch and how Jonathan had followed Carter to his next class and bothered him the entire time. She looked down in her lap as she told her big brother about what the boy had said to her in math class.

A flash of fury covered Lincoln's face. Not only because his little brother had been picked on. That happened to almost everyone. It was unacceptable, but it happened and had to be dealt with. Knowing this same kid was flirting with his little sister, was not going to be tolerated either. Lincoln pushed up off the bed and began pacing like he had seen his mother do a million times. "Jonathan Tittle is an jerk. He has an older brother in eighth grade named Michael and he's an jerk too."

"Great. Jerky brothers." Carter whined.

"You've got to stand up to him, Cart."

"I tried to! But he made me move to another table in the cafeteria in front of everyone. It was embarrassing." Carter admitted.

"I really can't believe he was flirting with you Katie. That is not cool at all either!" Lincoln stated with authority.

"I don't think he was flirting with me. He was being sorta nice."

"If he said what you told me he said, he was flirting with you. And It's not happening again."

Katie put her hand on her hip and stared at her brother. "I know you are my older brother, but you are not in charge of me. I don't like him at all, but when I decide that I do like a boy, you are not allowed to act like you're the boss of me. Got it?"

Lincoln looked over at his brother for support. Carter gave him a smirk said, "Tough, Katie. We're always going to protect you from creeps like Jonathan. You don't have to like it."

Katie sighed. It was going to be a long seven years. "Fine, but what are we gonna do about him?"

The three of them sat there trying to come up with a plan when their father knocked on the door and came into the room. "Hey guys! What are you all doing in Carter's stinky room?"

"Dad!" Katie said in an annoyed voice. Carter really didn't need any more of a hard time than he had already gotten today. "Be nice."

"He's had a rough day." Link said. Carter glared at his brother.

"What happened today, bud?" Fitz asked as he sat down on the already crowded bed. He had already heard their little chat from outside the door and wondered if they would tell him or deal with it on their own. He figured it would be the latter.

"Nothing." Carter replied.

"Great. So, you can go downstairs and unload the dishwasher before I start cooking dinner." The three of them didn't need to be sitting up here brooding over how to kick a sixth graders ass without getting caught. "You can take out the trash, Link. And Katie, you can set the table."

"DAAAAAD!" Three voices whined loudly.

"Lincoln, I'd like a word with you before you go downstairs please. You two can go ahead and get started."

The twins reluctantly left the room and Fitz closed the door. "What's going on?"

"Nothing dad."

"Maybe you misunderstood the question?"

"Fine! There's a kid at school that's bullying Carter and flirting with Katie. We're trying to think of a way to get him to stop doing both things because it's bothering the twins."

Fitz grinned at his oldest child. "I heard everything from the doorway. I'm glad you told me though."

"You didn't really give me a choice."

"One day you'll be able to say the same thing to your son."

"In thirty years, when I'm allowed to get married, right?" Link asked rolling his eyes.

"Something like that. So, what's the plan?"

"We don't have one yet. You came busting through the door and interrupted us."

"Whatever you do, make sure it's not something that is going to get any of you into trouble. Do not put your hands on him at all. That will make you a bully just like him. If that happens, your mother will make the three of you apologize to him and that will just feed his ego and make it worse. Grants stick up for each other but they don't have to be mean to accomplish it. Get sneaky. You three are experts at that. Kinda makes me proud." Fitz put his arm around his son's neck.

"You're not mad?" Lincoln asked.

"Hell no! If this kid is picking on Carter, it needs to stop. There are anti bullying campaigns in almost every school. And if this kid is flirting with your sister, he'd better be glad I'm scared of prison or else I would kick his ass myself. Come up with something that will make him stop but won't get any of you into trouble for it. Can you do that?"

"Consider it handled, dad."

"Jesus. You sound like your mother. Go take out the trash."

For a week Lincoln couldn't think of any way to take Jonathan down without him or his siblings getting into trouble for it. Each day Carter was more and more miserable and became more and more withdrawn. He never had been an outspoken kid, but he had totally clammed up now. Jonathan had put glue on his locker lock, pushed him into a closet, and who knew what else. Lincoln was going to have a little chat with Jonathan and if he got into trouble for it, he really didn't care at this point. As long as the twins weren't messed with any more.

The next afternoon at school, Lincoln followed his brother into the cafeteria instead of going to his own class. He figured he might be a little taller than most of the sixth graders, but he could probably mingle for a few minutes without getting caught. Just enough time to get a tray of lunch and make a point.

He was near the end of the line, waiting to get lunch with his eyes on his brother and sister. Katie was sitting at a table already with her girly friends. She was out of the picture as far as Jonathan was concerned. He breathed a little easier knowing it. Carter had just gotten his lunch and was making his way to a table to sit down and eat. He looked so sad. Like he knew he wasn't going to get to eat it in peace, and Lincoln watched him constantly look around for the little jerk who had been tormenting him on a daily basis.

Sure enough, Jonathan plopped down in front of Carter, who hadn't even started to eat his lunch yet. Jonathan ran his finger through Carter's potatoes and then licked it. Lincoln wanted to beat him senseless as he inched his way closer to the serving line and watched the harassment.

Finally, Lincoln got a tray and made his way to where his brother sat. Not caring about Jonathan, Lincoln pushed the younger boy's tray further down the table and pointed to the empty chair beside him.

Jonathan craned his head to look up at whoever had moved his lunch without asking him. "What the...?" The question died on his lips as the younger boy realized the person was bigger than he was.

Lincoln leaned down toward the boy and continued to point to the empty space. He simply said, "Move."

"Who ARE you?" Jonathan asked as he slowly made his way to the empty seat.

"A better question is who do you think you are, picking on my brother?" Lincoln asked as he sat down.

Jonathan's eyes went wide and then flicked back and forth between the two brothers. "I was just messin' with him, man. No big deal." He took the vacant seat and watched as the taller boy took the one he had just left.

"You call putting glue in my locker no big deal?" Carter piped up angrily. He had had enough of this kid, and having his older brother there made him feel bolder and braver. "What about when you pushed me into the closet? Or threw water on my pants so it looked like I wet them?"

Jonathan started to chuckle but caught Lincoln's stern face and was smart enough to stop.

"I think you owe my brother an apology, and I think you need to do it now." Lincoln said as he folded his arms across his chest.

Jonathan's eyes darted around the room, checking out the exits and wondering if he could make it out of the cafeteria before this kid's brother caught him and pounded him. Movement caught his eye and he saw the really pretty girl from math class walking toward them. "Hey, beautiful. How are you today?"

Lincoln stood up abruptly, causing Jonathan to freeze. "What? I'm not allowed to talk to her either?"

"No, you're not allowed to talk to her, or look at her, or think about her. Ever. She's our sister." Lincoln informed him.

"She's your what?" Jonathan sputtered.

Katie stood between her brothers, creating a united front to Jonathan. "You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us."

Jonathan looked scared to death as he sat there mute and his eyes went from one sibling to the next to the next.

"I believe you were about to apologize to my brother, Carter." Lincoln encouraged him quietly.

"Y-Yea. I'm sorry. I won't do it again. I swear."

"Now, you need to go to the principal's office and tell someone in there that you have been bullying Carter."

"What? Why do I gotta do that? I apologized!" Jonathan said.

"Because if you don't you or your friends will think It's okay to do it to someone else. Someone who prolly doesn't have an older brother or sister to stand up for them. Go now before I have to go back to class." Lincoln advised. "Tell them that it's all on the hallway and cafeteria camera."

"Come on, mannnn." Jonathan whined.

"Would you rather get our parents involved in this? Our mother is a lawyer, dude."

"And she's super over protective." Carter added.

"You would be lucky to see the inside of this building by the end of the month. If you go admit what you've done, it'll be better for you. Tell them you apologized, but you know you have done a bad thing to Carter. Whatever they do with you is up to them." Lincoln watched as Jonathan gave them a pitiful look. It wasn't going to work though.

Jonathan got up from his seat and went to tell a teacher who was standing near the exit doors what was going on. He pointed to the table he had just gotten up from and Lincoln sat down quickly. He didn't need to get into trouble for being in the wrong place. He nudged Carter to stand up instead, but he watched as the boy slowly dragged his feet towards the principal's office. The three of them grinned at each other victoriously.

On the way home from school that day, Carter was in much better spirits, Olivia noticed. She didn't say anything about it though. Fitz had filled her in at lunchtime earlier that week about what was going on at school. She wanted to march down to the school and have a little chat with the boy who was causing her little duck a lot of sad days lately. Fitz had sternly warned her to keep it to herself and see if the kids asked for help. She was going to give them until bedtime tonight to tell her themselves. "How was your day you guys?"

"It was awesome!" Carter sang from the backseat.

"Yea? That's great. You haven't been happy after school the past few days, Cart. I've been worried about you. Is everything okay?" She asked mildly. He'd better tell her.

Carter looked at his brother and saw him nodding. "I'm good now. There was a boy who was picking on me at school. But Link took care of him."

Olivia hit the brakes a little harder than she meant to at the stop sign. "Lincoln did what?" She put the car in park and turned in her seat. "What exactly did you do, Lincoln Nathaniel?"

"Mom. I didn't put my hands on him or hurt him in any way. But he needed to stop being so mean to Carter."

"He said he was sorry, mom."

"He's not allowed to look at me anymore either." Katie said smiling.

Damn straight, Olivia thought. "What else did you do to this kid? You really didn't put your hands on him in any way? Because you can get into a lot of trouble for doing that, Lincoln."

"I promise, mom. I had to do something though. He was flirting with Katie and picking on Carter. I made him apologize to Carter and told him he needed to go to the office and tell them what he had been doing, and to tell them they could see it for themselves on the hall cameras in the school. That's all, I swear." She had to believe him.

A car beeped their horn behind them, but Olivia didn't care. She wasn't moving. This was an important moment with her kids. She slowly nodded at the three of them. "I'm proud of you guys. You didn't get physical with this boy, you didn't threaten him in any way, and you stood up for each other. It's all I want for the three of you, is to be close to each other. Always."

"Awww, mom. Are you gonna cry?" Carter said scrunching up his face.

"What?" She sniffed and turned around in her seat, facing forward. "Nooooo. I suppose I should tell you that I already knew about this. Jonathan's mother called me earlier and apologized on his behalf. Apparently, he told her everything he had done to Carter and she wasn't too happy with him. He's grounded for two months and has been suspended from school for a week. But we are not going to gloat about that. Jonathan learned his lesson and got punished for what he did. End of story. Don't go to school bragging about it or what happened to him, okay?"

"Okay, mom." They replied.

Fitz was right. Having big kids was cool. "Now, let's go home and make your dad take us all out for pizza."

Loud cheering came from the back seat.


	48. That's My Boy

I've said it a million times, but thank you for sticking with me through this story. Your reviews and tweets of encouragement mean the world to me. There are only 6 chapters left of this story & then it will be over for good. Let's don't be sad just yet though...

Lincoln is 13

Carter & Katie are 12

That's My Boy

"Lincoln looks really handsome in his suit." Anna said quietly to Katie.

Katie glanced out in the hall from her bedroom where the two girls were talking about how much fun it would be to go to the eighth grade dance. "He doesn't want to wear it though. I don't know why dad is making him?"

"Who is he taking with him?" Anna asked. Her eyes were glued to the older Grant sibling. He had been a part of her life since the day she was born. Her mother and Katie's mother had been best friends for a really long time. It was just natural for their children to be around each other constantly. It probably wasn't natural for Anna to look at Lincoln like he was something other than a friend. He sure looks good in his suit though, Anna thought.

"Anna!" A voice yelled from downstairs. "You ready to go home yet?"

Not really, Anna thought, as her eyes stayed glued to Lincoln. It was her mother's voice, calling for her. They just lived across the street, but Anna's mother thought she was five years old or something and always came to get her when it was time to go. Anna rolled her eyes at the absurdity of it. "Be right down." Anna shouted. Turning to Katie she said, "I guess I gotta go."

"Thanks for helping me with my science homework. I really don't want to fail the test on Friday." Katie told her red headed friend.

"You'll do great. I'll see you tomorrow, Kate." Anna pushed up off of her friend's bed, gathered her backpack, and headed for the door. Lincoln and his dad were still in the hall fidgeting with his tie.

"Dad! I don't want to wear a tie!" Lincoln protested. "And why am I trying this suit on two weeks before the dance is even here?"

"Because your mother likes to plan ahead. Now you're all ready for the dance and there won't be any running around trying to find you something to wear. Keep the tie. You look so spiffy with it." Fitz replied.

"What does that word even mean? Spiffy? It sounds like a word Pops would use." Lincoln said with an eyeroll.

"Smartass." Fitz replied with a grin. He saw Anna coming out of Katie's bedroom and straightened up. "Oh, sorry Anna. I didn't realize you were standing there."

"It's okay, Mr. Grant. He is kind of a smart butt."

"Excuse you!" Lincoln said.

Fitz chuckled at Abby junior. "You remind me of your mother every single day."

Anna crinkled her nose at that comment.

"That's not a bad thing, Anna. Your mother is intelligent, beautiful, and very sassy. It's good to know you got those traits too. It'll make the world a lot more interesting for the people around you." Fitz didn't add that she looked exactly like her mother too. He knew kids didn't want to hear that they looked like their decrepit dinosaur parents.

"Yea. Thanks, Mr. Grant." She said walking past the two Grant males, wishing she could stay a little longer.

"Anna, for the millionth time, call me Fitz." He pleaded.

Anna crinkled her nose again. "That'd be too weird." Feeling a little bolder, Anna looked at Lincoln and added, "You look very handsome, Lincoln. Whoever you're taking to the dance will think so too."

Lincoln smiled at her. "Thanks, Anna." He watched her walk downstairs and wondered why she looked differently today? Her hair was in a very long red ponytail. She looked...pretty.

"Hellooooooo?" Fitz called out repeatedly. He had seen that look on his son's face and recognized it all too well. Lincoln turned his attention back to him. "You okay?"

"Yea, I'm fine." Lincoln replied, not looking into his father's eyes.

Thinking it might go unnoticed, Fitz mildly said, "Anna sure is pretty."

"Dad! Gross! Anna is like my sister. Stop being weird."

Defensive much? Fitz wondered to himself. "So, who are you going to ask to this dance in two weeks?"

Lincoln turned his attention to the empty stairs. He'd had his eye on Anna for a while now. Not in a creepy way, but she was taking up more and more room in his brain the last several weeks. Lincoln was seeing her as more than aunt Abby's daughter. The family friend. The girl who was constantly at his house giggling with his little sister or spending the night. She was, in his mind, more than the sarcastic girl with the pretty red hair who ate the last of his favorite cereal on purpose. And grinned at him the whole time she did it. She was a lot more. But she didn't know any of that. And Lincoln didn't know how to tell her or if he should.

He wondered what it would be like to take Anna? She was only in seventh grade, but they went to the same school, so it wouldn't be a problem. He bet she would look real pretty in a fancy dress? Remembering the king of nosey was standing right in front of him, Lincoln turned back to his father and shrugged. "I have a few ideas. We'll see what happens."

Fitz bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smirking. This son of his needed a few lessons in playing it cool. He couldn't wait to tell Liv that her baby was looking at girls. Then again, some things are best kept between guys. "You have to wear the tie because this isn't any old dance. It's the eighth grade formal. Your next big dance will be the prom when you get into high school. And if I were you, I wouldn't mention that fact around your mother or she'll get that look on her face. You know the one."

"Man, is she ever gonna not make that face, dad?"

"Dude." Fitz gave his son a sympathetic look. "You're thirteen years old. If she hasn't stopped doing it by now, she's never gonna stop."

Lincoln sighed. "Yea, you're right."

"I warned you a long time ago that she would be that mom that cried when you moved into college and then tried to spend the night." Fitz chuckled. When he noticed that Link wasn't joining him in laughter, he added, "I won't let her do that, of course."

"Thanks, dad." Lincoln said with a smile.

"Lincoln, come downstairs so I can see what you look like all dressed up please." Olivia called out.

"Is she serious right now?" Lincoln asked his father.

Fitz smiled. "She is, son. Dead serious. You're only going to be here for a little over four years and then you'll be away at college. She's only gonna get worse before you leave."

"Four years is gonna take forever to get here." The younger Grant lamented.

"It'll go faster than you think. Now, go downstairs and show your mother what a handsome brat looks like." Fitz said.

"She's married to you, so she already knows."

"Damn smart mouth kids." Fitz grumbled as he followed his son downstairs.

Olivia looked him over and then said, "Turn around so I can make sure those pants aren't too tight in the butt."

"Mom!" Lincoln exclaimed. "I'm not doing a circle, so you can look at my butt."

Olivia's eyebrows went skyward as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"You've done it now kid." Fitz mumbled.

"For your information I used to wipe your butt, tickle your butt, and once I even bit your butt when you were little. We spent a lot of money on that suit for you to wear to the eighth grade dance and I want to make sure it fits you. That doesn't require any lip from you. Got it?"

"Got it" Lincoln muttered. He spun around slowly and felt like an idiot.

"I think it could be taken in an inch on the waist." Olivia commented.

Lincoln gave a horrified look. He had just gotten comfortable with wearing the thing. He looked good in this suit. Great even, truth be told. And now his mom wanted to make some changes? He shot a helpless look to his father.

"Liv? It fits him fine." Fitz said, putting an arm around her waist.

"It's a little loose in the waist, Fitz."

"It's not going to fall off his ass. The length is a little long too, but he'll grow into it. Hell, by the time the dance gets here it'll probably be too small for him." Fitz joked. Olivia just stared at him. "You wanted him in a suit, he's in one. He looks like a million bucks too. Leave it alone, Liv."

Link shot his dad an appreciative look.

"I suppose it's not that bad in the waist." Olivia said to herself.

"Great. Can I go change now mom?" Lincoln asked.

"Yes, but put that suit on a hanger and put it in your closet please."

"Thanks for the suit mom." Lincoln said giving her a small hug. "I look amazing in this." He did a spin before dashing up the stairs.

"That's my boy." Fitz said proudly.

Olivia chuckled at her husband. "That's MY boy. Fitz, you can't dance very good. He obviously gets his talent from me."

Fitz grabbed his wife and pulled her into his arms and began swaying with her. "I recall the two of us dancing at the bakery together the night you showed up to seduce me. You had a look on your face that definitely was pure lust when you saw me dancing in the kitchen."

Olivia held onto the crazy man in her arms and ground her core against his as her fingers grabbed onto the curls at the back of his neck. "I didn't come by there to seduce you."

He slid his hand down and got a handful of her ass as they continued to move together. He kissed her mouth and made his way to her neck before whispering into her ear. "What about now?"

"I'm definitely seducing you now, mister." She said with a smile.

"Admit that I can dance or you're not getting any of this." He teased.

A smile spread slowly across Olivia's face at her husband's words. "You always were a charmer. That night at the bakery seems so long ago. We were just babies, both of us were so nervous."

"I wasn't nervous."

"Yea right. You were all sarcasm and self control."

"I had a hard time not staring at your ass all night." He admitted. "At least when you couldn't see me."

"I saw you every single time, perv." She felt his hands on her ass now and smiled even bigger. "It's good to know that some things haven't changed."

"We still make beautiful music together, babe."

"I think we're better at it now than back when we were just kids starting out. Don't you think?"

Fitz kissed her deeply and pulled her body impossibly closer to his. When he broke the kiss, Fitz looked into her chocolate eyes and grinned at his wife. "I agree. We are much better at it now. I have learned all the things that you love me to do to you."

Olivia arched an eyebrow. "All of them?"

Fitz grinned. "Are you saying you're holding out on me?"

"I guess you'll have to take me upstairs and find out, huh?" The two of them giddily raced to their bedroom and tumbled onto their bed.

Carter wandered into his big brother's bedroom and saw him hanging the suit up in the closet. He plopped down on the messed up unmade bed and asked, "Who are you taking to the dance, Link?"

Lincoln sat down heavily in the chair at his desk. His thoughts went back to Anna, but he couldn't voice those to his little brother of course. "I don't know. I haven't really thought about it much."

"The dance is two weeks away! All the girls are going to already be going with somebody if you don't pick someone. Have you started to make a list yet at least?"

"Nah. That doesn't seem right to do." Lincoln explained.

"Whaddya mean?"

"What if some guy put Katie's name on a list of girls he planned on asking to the dance?" Carter made a face that was none too happy. "Exactly. Girls aren't like cars. You don't just make a wish list and go from one to the other."

"Okay, I see your point. But who are you gonna take?"

"I dunno yet, Cart."

"You'd better figure it out soon. The dance is only two weeks away. Girls gotta find a dress and get their hair done and all that crap." Carter informed his brother.

"You're right. Man, I thought I had it bad having to wear a suit and tie? I should probably ask someone soon."

"Who is the one girl you want to ask more than anyone else?"

"I'm not telling you that!"

"Why not?"

"Don't you remember telling mom and dad about me kissing Julie? You'd end up telling them about this too."

"I was nine years old when that happened! Let it go already!" Carter rolled his eyes dramatically. "I'm older now and I can respect bro code."

"There is a girl I'd like to ask and I'm dying to talk to someone about it. But first you gotta tell me something you don't want mom and dad to find out about you. That way, if you do blab then I'll have something on you too." It sounded logical to Lincoln's ears and he wondered if he should think about becoming a lawyer like his mother one day? Carter sat there, thinking it over quietly. "Well?"

"Fine! I failed my math test yesterday and I'm supposed to get mom or dad to sign it before I can take it back to school."

"A math test?" Lincoln asked, full of doubt. "That's all you got little brother?"

"It counts as half my grade in that class, Link. They are gonna freak out bad!" Carter had been wondering if he could forge one of his parent's signatures on the paper and slide by with it? Probably not. He wondered if his mother could tell he was hiding something from her? Somehow she always knew.

Lincoln thought it over. It seemed serious enough to warrant their pact. "Okay. Let's shake on it." He extended his hand to his brother and Carter clasped his hand. "You don't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you and I won't tell mom or dad about your test. Deal?"

"Deal." Carter quickly withdrew his hand and then said, "Spill it."

Lincoln stood up and went to his bedroom door and closed it. He didn't sit back down but rubbed the imaginary hairs on his chin as he stood in front of his brother. Finally, he looked him in the eye and saw seriousness in his blue eyes. In a partial whisper he admitted, "I want to ask Anna."

"ANNA?" Carter shouted.

"Will you shut up?" Lincoln hissed, glaring. "I don't want mom or dad or even Katie to hear us."

"Anna Finch? Link, she's like our sister. She's always here. She's...a year younger than you are!"

"So?"

"So..."

"Look, are you gonna stick to the bro code and not say anything?"

"Yea. I shook on it, didn't I?"

"You'd better!" He resumed his pacing and poured out all the things he had been holding in for a while. "I think Anna is beautiful. I don't know, I started noticing how pretty she is. And she's really smart. I...I kinda like her. And not as a sister."

Carter sat in silence at his brother's words. It was a lot to take in, but he knew Lincoln didn't say things randomly. He obviously had feelings for her. When the biggest part of the shock was over, Carter shrugged. "Then you gotta ask her to the dance."

"I don't know if I can, Cart."

"Why not?" Carter was never falling in love or having feelings for a girl. Ever. They made life complicated and messed with your head. His brother was a prime example of it. "Just ask her."

"Mom will have a litter of puppies if I ask Anna to the dance. Then her and aunt Abby will think we are getting married or something and they will start planning it."

"Well, yea. I can see mom doing that too." Carter said. He thought about the situation for a few more minutes and then brightened. "How about this? You ask Anna to go with you to the dance as friends."

"Carter, I really..."

"Dude, shut up. You tell mom and aunt Abby that you want to take her as your friend but when you get to the dance, you tell her how you really feel about her." Carter grinned. For someone who wasn't interested in girls, he figured his plan was pretty great. His brother's smile meant he must agree with that.

"Carter, you're a freaking genius!" Link shouted gleefully.

"I know."

"I'll help you with math, so you can get your grade up before the year is over, okay? Grants help Grants, right?"

"You're the best big brother ever, Link! Thank you!" Carter exclaimed.

"I know." Lincoln roughly went through the plan in his head. It would work. It had to. He'd ask his parents tonight at dinner. "For the record, you're the best little brother ever, Cart."

Before Carter could reply, a knock sounded on the door. "Yea?" Lincoln called out.

Their father cracked the door and stuck his smiling face inside. "We're going out for dinner. Get ready. We're leaving in ten minutes."

Lincoln and Carter exchanged a glance between themselves. "Uhhh, dad?" Carter began.

"What is it, son?" Fitz asked.

"Before you go anywhere out in public with us, you need to go comb your hair first, kay?"

Their father chuckled and replied, "Yep. Got it" and then disappeared.

"He can be so weird sometimes." Link said. "You go get ready for dinner. I'm..."

Carter looked down at his appearance. "Dude, I'm as ready as I'm gonna get."

"Ok then, get out. I want to ask mom and dad about taking Anna to the dance at dinner and I need to think about it."

"It'll be fine, Link. They already love Anna. No one is gonna give you a hard time about it. Relax. And don't overthink it like mom."

"Good point. Thanks, Cart. When we get home, we'll look over your math for a while, okay?" Carter left his room and Lincoln thought about what and how he would tell his parents over dinner. After a few minutes, he wondered if it would be better if he talked to them about taking Anna to the dance after they got home? Just the three of them without Carter and Katie around.

Realizing he had started doing exactly what his younger brother had warned him not to do, Lincoln decided he would bring it up at dinner. If he was going to make the friendship thing believable, he needed to be casual about it. Not be so wound up or stressed out. As far as his parents knew, Lincoln was asking Anna to the dance as friends. Nothing more. No reason to make it into a big deal.

A giggly hand holding Fitz and Olivia settled on a family friendly Italian restaurant for dinner. After everyone had ordered, Lincoln decided now was the time. He nervously took a sip of his fountain drink and said, "I'd like to talk to you guys about who I want to take to the eighth grade formal."

That got Olivia's attention. "You've already decided who you want to take? That's great. Who is it?"

Lincoln looked up into his mother's eyes and smiled. Don't be nervous, don't be nervous, don't be nervous he chanted in his mind. She was smiling at him like she did every single day of his life. He swallowed hard and took another sip of his drink. And then Carter bumped his knee into his brothers. "I'd like to see if Anna would like to go with me. As friends."

"Anna? Anna Finch? Your little sister's best friend, Anna?" Olivia looked at Fitz and then flicked her gaze back to her firstborn.

"Yea, mom. She's the only Anna I know." He replied nervously.

"Have you asked her yet? To see if she wants to go with you?" Fitz asked. He wasn't surprised by this information, and from the look on Carter's face, he wasn't surprised either. The guys must have had a conversation before they left for dinner. That's probably what he and his sex tousled hair had interrupted earlier?

"No. I wanted to make sure you guys were okay with it. I thought I'd ask Abby and Stephen first. It seems like the right thing to do?" So far so good, Link, he told himself.

Fitz and Olivia shared another glance. It hadn't escaped either one of them that Lincoln had said Abby instead of aunt Abby as he had done since he was a kid. There was more to this than two friends going to a dance together. "It's fine by me." Fitz said nodding.

"I think it's very sweet of you to think of taking your friend." Olivia added. She was chomping at the bit to call Abby and discuss this in detail. "Of course, her dad is going to be the one who might not approve."

"Why wouldn't he approve?" Lincoln asked.

"You know how your dad gets with Katie when it comes to...pretty much anything?" Olivia asked.

"What are you talking about, woman?" Fitz asked.

"Daddy doesn't..." Katie began.

"Yea." Lincoln said flatly. He knew exactly what she meant. "So, I should be expecting that from Stephen too huh?"

"I still don't know what you two are talking about?" Fitz asked with a crinkled face.

"Oh, that sweet boy Mark called earlier." She told her husband. "He invited Katie to go out to the movies this weekend."

"Like hell is that happening!" Fitz roared.

"Who?" Katie asked.

"See." Olivia said to her oldest child. "That's what you can expect."

"Did you just use me to make a point?" Fitz asked his wife.

"I did."

"It was kinda hot."

"Gross. Can you guys not act like that right now? I'm trying to have a serious conversation with you!"

"Sorry, son." Fitz said still smiling. "You have our permission to ask Stephen and Abby to take Anna to the dance if you want to."

Lincoln and Carter shared a grin.

Two weeks later, Lincoln was putting his suit and tie on once again. He styled his hair to perfection and he brushed his teeth for the third time that day. To say he was nervous was an understatement, but he pushed through the nerves and finished getting ready for the formal dance.

Carter had already been in his room, giving advice on what to tell Anna and how and when. Lincoln listened patiently but figured since Cart had never had a girlfriend his advice probably wasn't going to steer his evening. He was being awfully cool and supportive about it though, and he did help calm Lincoln's nerves some. Besides, Lincoln had helped Carter bring his math grade up to passing and the two of them had spent a lot of time together because of it. They were almost inseparable when they were at home these days.

Fitz and Lincoln got into the car and drove across the street to pick up Anna. Lincoln thought it was ridiculous, but his father explained that gentlemen pick up their dates, not make them walk across the street and hop in for a ride. "Besides," Fitz explained, "She might get her dress dirty? You gotta think about your date, Link. She probably spent a lot of time doing her hair and her parents probably spent a lot of money on her dress. They wouldn't want it to get messed up. Least of all, Anna."

Lincoln nodded. "You're right, dad. I never would have thought about that."

"Something else you probably haven't thought about is the fact that your mother has been over here for the past half hour helping Abby help Anna get ready for the dance. They are going to want to take forty seven thousand pictures of the two of you."

"Wait! What?" Lincoln exclaimed.

"Yea, dude. Good luck with that." Fitz said with a grin.

Lincoln got out of the car and spoke to his dad through his open window. "How long do you think that's gonna take?"

"At least thirty minutes." Fitz started rolling up his window and laughed. "Bye, Link."

Lincoln rolled his eyes and started making his way up the steps to the front door of the Finch house. He rang the bell and heard a giddy squeal before the door opened and a smiling Abby greeted him. "Hey short stuff."

Lincoln grinned at her. She had called him that for as long as he could remember. At least she wasn't acting weird around him. Once he was inside the house he said, "You know, I'm only about four or five inches shorter than you. You're not gonna be able to call me that for much longer."

Abby looked him over. Her favorite little man was growing up on her. He looked so handsome in his suit. Liv was right, he looked exactly like his father. And here he was taking her only baby to a school formal. She had no tears to dry up because she wasn't typically a crier. Like Liv. Abby figured that Link had seen enough of his mother crying already to last him a lifetime. She wasn't going to add to it. She grinned back at him. "Yea, well, for now you're still shorter than me. So, you'll stay short stuff until that changes. Okay?"

Lincoln looked around the house he had been in too many times to count. "Where's Anna?"

Abby jerked her head in another direction. "Getting a gallon of hairspray spritzed on her head by your mother. That woman is ridiculous. You know what I mean?"

"Boy do I." He looked up at Abby and said, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure ya can." She led him into the living room and the two of them sat down. "What's on your mind?"

"Are you or uncle Stephen mad at me for asking Anna to go to the dance with me?"

He was so damn cute, Abby couldn't help but to smile as he fumbled over his words some. "Why would we be mad? The two of you are just friends, right?" It was beyond obvious that that wasn't the case with Lincoln.

Lincoln looked down at his shoes and was quiet for a minute.

Abby touched his knee and he brought his gaze up to meet hers. "Can I tell you something?"

Lincoln nodded.

"I'm really glad that you and Anna are friends. You, your brother, and sister and she have grown up together and I'm really glad that the four of you have had each other to be close to. Good friends are hard to come by, Link. And sometimes good friends end up becoming more than that. If that happens, I'm not going to be upset or disappointed in you."

Lincoln let her words sink in. She was telling him it was okay to feel the way he was feeling about her daughter. That was kinda cool.

"Let me also say that you are expected to act like a gentleman and treat my daughter like a princess."

"I will. I promise, Abby."

"Too big to call me aunt Abby now, huh?" Abby asked with a smirk.

Lincoln blushed. "You're more like my second mother."

Stephen walked into the living room and Lincoln stood up and shook his hand. "How ya doin, mate? Nervous?"

"Nah. Not about the dance. I'm not used to wearing a suit though so that takes some getting used to. How do you wear one every single day without losing your mind?"

Stephen chuckled. "It ain't easy, Link. But like me, you look fantastic in a suit."

"I do look pretty good." Lincoln laughed and pulled on his lapels. "I bet Anna looks real pretty too?"

"She doesn't." Stephen replied curtly.

"Stephen!" Abby chided.

"She looks absolutely beautiful. And she'd better come back looking absolutely beautiful too." Stephen pointed a finger at Lincoln.

"She will." Lincoln said, gulping with wide eyes.

"You are not allowed to hold her hand, or kiss her, or..."

"That's enough, Stephen. Your scaring the poor boy!" Abby shouted.

"Lincoln?" A quiet voice called out from the stairway.

Lincoln turned to the familiar voice and saw Anna walking down the stairs in a royal blue dress. Her hair was sorta up and sorta down. She looked really beautiful. "Wow." He whispered. He already knew what color her dress was going to be but had no idea what it looked like. He stood up quickly and went to meet her at the bottom of the stairs. She stopped at the bottom and he said, "you look really pretty, Anna."

"Thank you, Lincoln."

The two of them stood there looking at each other and smiling.

"Do you want to put Anna's corsage on her wrist now, Lincoln?" Olivia asked.

"Uhhh yea. Okay." He looked down at the clear plastic container in his hands and flipped the lid off. He gently picked up elastic underneath the royal blue flower and slid it onto her wrist. It looked really good on her and matched her dress perfectly. The two of them went back to silently staring at each other.

Olivia and Abby shared a look amongst themselves. Their kids liked each other. And not as friends. That was obvious. In an attempt to break them out of the staring contest, Abby said, "I'm going to go get the camera so we can get some pictures before the two of you leave. Since it's so nice outside, we'll go out there to take them."

Lincoln and Anna were finally done with pictures and once they told everyone bye, Lincoln helped her get into the backseat of the car. "Forty seven thousand, huh?" Fitz asked.

"Just drive before they change their minds and want more." Lincoln stated. His dad laughed and drove off.

Fitz was driving the two friends to the dance and dropping them off. He had strict instructions from the mothers of both kids to look in through the window to see just how friendly they were acting. He wasn't going to do that but had decided to falsify that report that nothing seemed out of the ordinary between them. The two of them got out of the car and Fitz told his son, "I'll be back to pick the two of you up at nine thirty. If you need to come home before then, call me or mom."

"Thanks, dad." Lincoln had no plans to call them to come home early.

Anna and Lincoln faced the door of the gym side by side. Loud music poured outside along with laughter and the sound of happy excited kids having a good time. Anna turned to Lincoln and said, "Thank you for inviting me to the dance. It's really cool to be here, even if it is as friends."

Lincoln wondered if this was his moment to tell Anna the truth that he liked her for more than a friend? His heart was pounding, and his hands felt a little sweaty. He didn't know what the moment should feel like because he had never felt like this before. One side of his brain told him to tell her now. To get it over with. To get rid of the awkwardness of the situation. Maybe it wouldn't be awkward at all? Maybe it would be fine? All Lincoln knew was that he didn't want to walk into the dance without Anna knowing how he felt.

The other side of his brain told him to wait until the end of the night so that if she didn't feel the same way he did, at least they would have a good time together. They would have a fun memory that they could talk about, before it turned weird with all the talking. Speaking of the talking, Lincoln still didn't know what he was going to say to her.

Anna was looking at him expectantly, waiting for some kind of reply. Lincoln swallowed and said, "before we go in there, can I tell you something?"

Anna smiled nervously. "Sure. I guess."

"Don't think I'm a weirdo or anything. I just..." His mouth went dry. I just what? He wondered to himself. This was a bad idea. Just tell her that you think she looks pretty. Just tell her...

"I like you, Lincoln." Anna said with a shrug.

What did she just say? Lincoln blinked a few times and focused on the words she was saying.

"I've had a crush on you for a long time. So, when you asked me to go with you to the dance as friends, I was excited. I knew I could never be your girlfriend, but I thought it would be nice to go to the dance with you and pretend that we were going out. I know that sounds stupid, but..."

"It doesn't sound stupid at all." He interrupted. "I...like you too, Anna. I told our parents that I wanted you to come with me to the dance as friends. You know how they all get when they think we are up to something?"

Anna chuckled. "Yea."

"I wanted to wait until we got here and away from them to tell you that I like you. Like, like you like you. I hope that's not too weird to hear?" He screwed that up so bad. She was gonna think he was the biggest idiot!

"It's not weird to hear at all. I'm glad you waited until we were here. I like you like you too." Anna confessed.

"Do you wanna be my girlfriend?" He asked with new found boldness.

Her smile grew bigger. "Yes."

Lincoln smiled at her. "Can I ask you one more question?"

"You can ask me anything, Link."

He took her hand into his and held onto it. "Do you really think I'm a smart butt?"

The two of them laughed and Anna rolled her eyes. "Now I do! Can we go dance now?" Lincoln led her inside where they took in the beautiful sights of the decorated gymnasium and began talking with their friends.

In the parking lot, a car backed out of the parking space it had been sitting in for the past ten minutes and drove away from the school. That's my boy, the perfect gentleman, Fitz thought.


	49. Date Night

Lincoln is 15

Carter & Katie are 14

Date Night

High school is a lot harder than I realized. I'm constantly changing classes and the material is much harder than junior high. I have no problem with hard work. My parents have driven hard work into all three of us since we were younger. I'm up for it. Look forward to it even. But in order to keep my straight A grades, it takes me a lot longer to get the work done. Then there's the upper classmen who are thrown into freshman classes because they failed it the first time around. They aren't even remotely interested in learning the material the second time either and instead spend their time being obnoxious, making it more difficult for the rest of us to learn.

Being a freshman means I'm automatically looked down upon because I'm the newbie. The low man on totem pole. The fourteen year old that still gets lost while looking for all these classes in this huge main building and the surrounding smaller ones. None of my teachers know me. I never see my brothers at school, and I'm kept so busy with the work that I barely have time to talk to my friends here either.

Remind me to bring up the subject of my friends later.

But being a freshman also means I have a clean slate. The teachers don't know me. They don't know how hard I'll work to be the best in the class to keep my grade point average the amazing thing that it always has been. Or how eager I am to make sure my name sticks out in their head. Yea, I'm driven. If I'm going to be a lawyer like my mother, I have to be.

It's been an interesting first semester here and just when I've settled in to my new surroundings and gotten used to my teachers, it's time to change everything and start all over. New classes to try to find. New teachers to figure out. New classmates to annoy those of us who are trying to learn. I only gotta do this six more times and then I'll be done here. Maybe college will be easier and less dramatic?

Speaking of drama. I did ask you to remind me to talk about my friends.

One of my best friends, Anna, is dating my older brother. How weird is that?! Like, isn't there a rule against friends dating your brother? If there isn't, there should be! They are always holding hands or kissing, or Lincoln is walking her to her classes while he carries her books. They give each other these looks that I can't even explain. And even though she's always hung out at our house after school, instead of her sitting in my bedroom, now she and Link spend their afternoons sitting side by side on the sofa in the living room watching tv together. Or doing homework at the kitchen table together.

I haven't admitted this to anyone, but if I'm honest, I don't care that much that Link and Anna are dating. Link is a great boyfriend to Anna and she is terrific to him too. I'd seriously have to beat one of them up if they weren't good to the other one. They've been dating for two years now and they both seem pretty happy. My family loves her and her family loves Link. It's been that way since before we were all born.

I guess my problem is that...Well, I don't have a boyfriend.

That kinda sucks. I don't have anyone to walk me to class or hang out with me after school or do homework with. Sometimes seeing them together is tough because I want that too. Other times it's nauseating. The only time I talked to my mom about it, she told me to be patient and concentrate on school. That boys are distracting. And then two days later, my dad randomly told me I wasn't allowed to date until I was forty. There are no secrets between those two.

I don't really have time for a boyfriend right now anyways. Not with the class load I'll have when Christmas break is over. I figure it'll happen when it happens. I'm not really in a huge rush, but sometimes it would be nice to have one – for all of the reasons I already mentioned. Oh well.

Thank God it's Christmas break. I don't want to think about school or lost classes or remembering what my locker combination is. I just want to be lazy. To stay up late, sleep in late, eat junk food, and spend some time with my family and friends. Not necessarily in that order either. And I've got to go Christmas shopping too.

In fact, my mom, aunt Abby, Anna, and I are all supposed to go to the mall this afternoon to buy some stuff. I'm looking forward to some much needed girl time! Mom and aunt Abby always take us to get our toes done when the four of us go to the mall together. I want to get something Christmassy on them. Anna wants to get a Christmas tree on her big toes. It'll be good to be able to talk to her without the distraction of my older brother constantly wanting her attention.

Living in a house full of guys can get annoying! They are loud and competitive and gross and they eat everything in sight at warp speed! Brothers are supposed to be annoying. It's expected from them when they are born, I think? For the most part, Lincoln, Carter and I all get along really well. We have each other's backs when it counts, and we can talk to each other about almost anything. We've had some interesting conversations over the years. Things that mom and dad would freak out over if they knew. They can be my best friends or my worst nightmares.

I have learned to deal with Lincoln and Carter when the need arises. I know how to get them to leave my room when I want them to and I know how to threaten them into silence too. Of course, they have stuff on me too. Nothing major, because I don't get into trouble at all. But enough that I give them space when they ask for it.

Dad is another matter altogether. He thinks I'm still five years old and a princess. He's my biggest cheerleader. He really is, but sometimes I feel like he refuses to let me grow up. I know I'm his only daughter and I love to spend time with him and be around him. I've always looked up to him, ever since I was a little kid. But I'm not a kid anymore and he could loosen the hedge of protection I'm sure he feels is absolutely necessary to my life. He goes overboard sometimes and even though I know it's well intended, it feels more like suffocation sometimes. I feel like I need to talk to him about this soon.

Which just leaves mom. I watch my dad try to protect her sometimes too, but she tells him when he's going too far. Sometimes she does it with humor, but he always gets the point. Naturally, I know there's a difference between her situation and mine. They are married and that means they are equals. I'm the kid. Maybe I'll ask her about how to talk to dad about it?

"Come on, Katie! This girl's day is getting underway now!" My mom excitedly calls from the living room.

I race down the stairs and grab my jacket hanging on the coat rack near the door. My mom is standing in front of my dad with her hand out and he's giving her the same look Lincoln gives me when I tell him to get out of my room.

"Liv, you don't need any more money! Santa has Christmas covered already!" Dad says.

Mom still has her hand out. "You know damned well that I take my only daughter to get a pedicure when we go to the mall with Abby and Anna. Fork it over, Fitz."

My dad looks over at me and smiles, and hands my mom a few large bills. "You gonna get princess crowns on your feet Katie?" He asks.

"Ugggggh! Dad! I'm not three years old anymore!" I tell him.

"So, you gonna go for the skull and crossbones instead?" He asks sarcastically.

I roll my eyes at him. See what I mean?!

"If you promise to come home with pink polish on your toes then I might have a spare twenty to give you?" He says, holding it out and waving it in front of me happily.

My mind goes into overdrive thinking of a way to get around his condition. "I can do that, dad." I tell him with a smile.

He pushes the bill my way and just as I am about to pluck it from his hand, he pulls it back. "You're up to something, kiddo. You have that look on your face."

"What look?" I ask.

"The same look I give your mother when I AM up to something. " He explains with a grin.

"Give me the twenty, dad. You know you want to." I say grinning back. "I am your only daughter."

"I can appreciate a sarcastic kid because I was a sarcastic kid." He says, handing me the bill.

"Still are a sarcastic kid." My mom adds.

I put the twenty in my pocket. That seemed like a normal exchange for once. I start buttoning my coat and watch my parents. My dad pulls my mother into his arms and hugs her tight and then kisses her. They are completely ridiculous over the top most of the time with their PDA, but it's obvious that they love each other a lot. On one hand, I want someone to love me like that when I'm older. On the other hand, they remind me that I don't have a boyfriend right now. I turn to go outside and bump into Lincoln and Anna hugging goodbye.

Really?!

I push past them and walk out the door, letting the cold air seep through my layers of clothing. Maybe I will get the skull and crossbones on my toes? What's the worst that could happen? If I'm going to be single I might as well be happy. Right? I mean, I have no interest in skulls and stuff but...

"Whaddya thinkin' so hard about chickie?"

I turn around and see aunt Abby standing in the snow next to her car. It's running, and I can hear the defrost blower working overtime trying to make the windshield clear enough to see out of. I sigh and get into the backseat of her car, while she gets into the driver's seat. The warmth feels better than the cold.

"You okay?" She asks.

I shrug silently.

"What's the matter? Do you need me to go in there and beat one of your brother's asses?" She sounds fierce, but she's grinning and before long I'm grinning back.

"Nah. It's not them. Mom and dad are taking forever to say goodbye." I roll my eyes.

"Those two have been like that since their first date. I don't think that's ever gonna change, Katie my love. There is an upside though."

"Really?" I ask truly curious.

"You will always know that your parents are very much in love with each other." She makes a face. "It's gross to have to watch, but you'll know."

I laugh at her and it feels good. "You have a point there." My laughter subsides, and I wonder if I should talk to aunt Abby about the things that are bothering me? I figure why not. "Do you think anyone will ever love me like that?"

She turns in her seat and looks at me, all serious. "Of course they will! Does it bother you that you don't have a boyfriend?"

I nod at her but don't look her in the eye.

She gets out of the car and gets into the backseat beside me. She grabs my hands and holds onto them until I do look at her. "You are an amazing person, Katie. You're funny, and smart, and beautiful, and patient, and giving. And one day someone will see how amazing you are and will ask you out on a date."

"Yea, but..."

"No buts. There isn't a time line on when boys will notice you." She explained.

"I know but Anna already has Link. And a lot of my other friends have boyfriends too. I sorta feel like a weirdo or something for still being single."

She smiled at me. "Listen. Boys weren't exactly lining up to go out with me either. I know. Shocking, huh? Sometimes it's better to be patient and wait for the right one to come along than to just pick anybody and rush it."

"You sound like my mom." I groaned.

"Your mom waited for your dad. And he was the right one. I mean, they are completely gross with all their kissing and hand holding. I get that."

I giggled at the absurd truth of her words.

"But he's been the right one from the beginning. Your dad, with all his flaws of craziness, loves your mother with all his heart. And he treats her like a queen. He gives her a kick in the ass when she needs it too, which is often. But they are perfect for each other. I've never seen another couple as in love as your parents. And something like that is not something you can rush, Katie."

I thought about what she said. It was all true. Some of it annoyingly so. My parents are crazy about each other even after all the years they have been together. And it was real.

"Besides, can you imagine how much your dad is gonna freak out when you finally do get asked out? That alone will be WELL worth the wait. Make sure I get to see it too please." She giggled.

I leaned towards her and hugged her tight. "Thanks, aunt Abby."

"Anytime, kiddo. I'm here if you ever want to talk, okay?"

I nodded with a big smile.

"Now lay on the horn so we can get those two out here and get the show on the road!"

The four of us walked into the mall with a purpose. We didn't really have one in particular, but to anyone passing by it looked like we did. We wandered aimlessly for a while, window shopping and talking amongst ourselves until Anna and I slowed our steps and fell a few feet behind our mothers. It went unnoticed by them as the two women chatted amiably about whatever came to mind.

"So, look, I need your help with something, Kate." Anna began.

Anna was the only person who called me Kate. It was fine with me because Katie sounded like a little kid's name and I was trying to shed that part of myself. "Sure. What's up?"

"I have no idea what to get Lincoln for Christmas. I figured you would be able to help me with that since you're his sister?"

There went my hopes of spending the afternoon with my friend without my brother interrupting anything. He wasn't even here, but he was still in the way of our time together. "Anna, don't you want to get him something you picked out yourself? It will mean more if you do."

"Well, yea. But I have zero ideas of what to get him. Like, seriously. None. Can you just give me some ideas? A few things you think he might like and then I can choose something? Pleeeeeease, Kate?"

I sighed heavily. When I get a boyfriend, I promised myself to pay attention to all kinds of things about him, so I wouldn't have to put his sister in this situation. "Okay. He loves sports. Maybe something with his favorite team on it?"

She crinkled her nose but said nothing.

"Orrrr how about tickets to see his favorite band? They are going to be in concert later in the summer. I think tickets go on sale next week? He would freak out if he opened a pair for both of you to go see them."

Anna shrieked loudly and grabbed my forearms. "Kate, that's the best idea ever! Thank you so much!"

"What's with all the screaming?" My mom asked as she and aunt Abby turned around.

We both shrugged and said in an uninterested voice, "Nothing." As soon as they went back to their conversation we grinned happily at each other. It felt good to help Anna, even if it was for Lincoln.

I was thinking of what I could buy for my brothers for Christmas when I was suddenly jerked into a store. I practically tripped over my own feet before I regained my balance. "What did you do that for? I would have come in here with you if you'd asked."

Anna didn't speak but weaved us stealthily through the displays of lotions and body sprays with her hand still clutched tightly to my jacket. She stopped at a table and picked up a plastic bottle of something and sprayed it into the air and then immediately pushed her nose into the disappearing mist and inhaled. "This one's kinda nice. What do you think, Katie?"

Why was she acting like she was trying out for a part on Mission Impossible? Why was she calling me Katie instead of Kate? And why had she dragged me into this store full of every scent known to mankind? She was being weird. I sniffed the air and commented, "Uhhh, yea. It's okay. Who are you getting it for?"

She leaned closer to me and whispered, "Do you see that boy over there? Three o'clock."

I wondered why she was looking at other guys when she was dating my brother but glanced to my right anyways. He was really cute, and I took my time checking him out between glancing around the store and sneaking looks his way. He had on blue jeans and a hoodie with the name of our high school written across the front of it. His brown hair was adorably going in every direction, and I had the feeling he had styled it that way. He looked kind of familiar, but I didn't know why?

When I caught him looking at me, I grabbed Anna's coat sleeve and pulled her further into the store to look at whatever was close by. "Why are we looking at him?" I hissed out.

"Seriously, Kate? That's Jackson Murphy! He's the second string quarterback of our high school football team! How do you not know that?" Anna explained in an excited impatient tone.

"So? Why are we checking him out at Bath and Body Works? You know this place gives me a headache. Besides, you already have a boyfriend."

She stared at me for a second. "We aren't looking at him for me."

I began to laugh out loud. "Oh-kay! You have lost your mind, Anna. He's cute, I'll give you that. He probably doesn't even know I exist, let alone go to the same school as..."

"Hey, Kate." A voice said from behind us.

Anna and I quickly turned around, knocking over a small display of body lotions. That in itself was embarrassing enough, but when I looked up from the mess on the floor I realized we were face to face with the person of our discussion. My shocked brain wondered if I should acknowledge him first or the overly priced items I had just knocked onto the floor?

The employee scowling at me decided for me and I bent down to pick up the lotions quickly. The boy bent down and began to help gather up the items and hand them up to Anna where she carelessly threw them into a brightly colored box. When they were done, the two of us stood up and faced each other.

"Uhhh, hey." God, you sound like an idiot, I chided myself. No wonder I'm single. The boy smiled brightly at me, showing perfectly straight white teeth.

"What are the two of you up to?" He asked.

"Just looking around. They're having a really good sale here today." I replied, hating the sound of my own voice.

"Yea, my mom dragged me in here. She loves this stuff. Being in here too long gives me a headache."

"Me too." I said nodding. I noticed that Anna had casually walked away from us but was keeping her eye on us from a few feet away. "I don't mean to sound rude, but how do you know my name?"

"I'm in your Science class at school."

I crinkled my nose at him. "What grade are you in?"

His face turned slightly red. It was the cutest thing. "I'm a sophomore. I failed the class when I was a freshman so I'm taking it again."

My mind reeled to all the internal bitching I had done about the older kids in some of my classes. I hadn't even noticed them before, but I knew they were there from their loud conversations and annoying laughter. Now I felt bad for judging them all.

"You've probably never noticed me because you're always taking notes or studying in class. And, I sit a few rows behind you too."

"That makes sense. It's nothing personal. I didn't really know anyone in any of my classes last semester." He nodded at me and I felt encouraged to ask him another question. "So, did you pass it this time?"

His face broke into a grin. "I did, actually. I got a seventy-nine, but that's passing, and I'll take it."

I would have fainted if I had ever gotten a seventy-nine on anything. "That's...great. Congratulations."

"Thanks. Can I tell you something?" He asked nervously.

I shrugged then said, "sure."

"I didn't just bump into you in here on accident."

"Whaddya mean?" It was my turn to be nervous and I shot a look full of it to Anna.

"I don't know how to say this without sounding like a complete idiot?" He stammered.

"Honesty is the best policy. Just say it."

"I know I don't know you, but I like you. You're really smart and pretty and I'd like to get to know you better. I'd like to take you to the movies sometime if you want?"

My eyes bulged out of my head. He likes me? This really cute football player from my school thinks I'm pretty and smart? What planet was I on right now? Play it casual stupid, I told myself. I smoothed out my face. "That's really sweet of you to say. I'd have to ask my parents about the movie, but it sounds like fun."

"I'd have to ask mine too since I don't drive yet. Can I get your number, so I can text you later?" He asked.

He just asked me for my number. Don't die. Don't die I chanted to my brain. "Yea. You should give me yours too?" Was that how it worked? I had no idea! I was winging this thing.

He grinned at me and I swear my heart stopped beating. "You give me your phone and I'll give you mine and we can program each other's numbers in? Yea?"

Ohmygod! He's going to touch my phone! "Sure." I said handing him my phone as he passed me his.

We furiously typed our information into each other's phones, saved it, and then handed them back. I boldly added the winking emoji after my name in his contacts. "Thanks, Kate. I'll text you when I get home, okay?"

"Okay, I'll talk to you later. Bye." I waved to him and floated out the door and into the throng of people.

"What was all of that about?" Anna demanded. "The two of you were talking forever!"

I stopped walking once we were well away from the store. "Anna. He asked for my number and wants to take me to the movies! Can you believe it?" I explained our entire conversation to her as we walked, still in disbelief that it had happened in the first place.

She squealed. Right there in the middle of the mall. I was so happy and excited that I started squealing too! Before long we were hugging and jumping up and down as people passed by and shot us crazy looks.

"Ohmygod! He's totally into you, Katie! You're gonna go on a daaaaaaaate! You're gonna go on a daaaaaate!" She sang.

All the blood suddenly drained from my face. "Oh no."

"What's the matter?" She asked.

"What am I gonna wear? I mean, I know it's not like it's tomorrow, but I need something to wear. Something new!"

She tapped her lips repeatedly as if in deep thought. "Now where could we find something new for you to wear on your very first date?" She stopped tapping and gave me a grin, similar to the one the Grinch wore in the movie. "Good thing we're at the mall."

Anna picked up her phone and called her mother. We found them in no time and I explained the situation to my mother. We had always had great communication with each other and we didn't keep secrets. She was grinning by the time I got to the end of my little story and she hugged me tightly. Aunt Abby winked at me and then hugged me too.

"Your biggest hurdle is going to be your father. He is not going to like this, Katie. Not at all." Mom reminded me.

"Mom, I'm fourteen years old. He's fifteen. We aren't going to a party or driving around all hours of the night. We're going to a movie here at the mall. There is no harm in that. You've got to talk to him." I lamented.

"Maybe he would be a little less...crazy about it if we got to meet this boy first? Have him come over to the house and have dinner with us first or something?" Mom suggested.

"That's a great idea! He's supposed to text me later. I'll suggest it. Do you really think dad is going to let me go after that?"

Mom chuckled at me. "Probably not. You need to talk to him before this boy gets treated like the devil by your father. If that doesn't work, I have powers of persuasion over him and I'll talk some sense into him. But let's worry about that later. Right now, we need to find my baby a cute outfit for her very first date."

A few days and several heated conversations with my father later, Jackson came over for dinner. My dad still wasn't completely on board with me going to a movie with a "strange boy" who asked me out on a date out of the blue – insert eye roll – so he insisted that Link and Anna come too. I was mortified but didn't really have much choice in the matter. It was the only way he was going to let me go. It was a good thing Anna and I had planned for her and Lincoln to go into a different movie than us. I just had to get through dinner first without dying of embarrassment.

We had all sat down at the table when my father began the interrogation. "So, you play football huh?"

"Yes, sir. I'm just the second string QB though. Aiden is the real star of the team."

"And how do you know my daughter?"

"I'm in her science class. Well, was. Last semester."

"What grade are you in?"

"Oh, I'm in the tenth."

"So, you failed it the first time, huh?"

"DAD!"

"It's okay, Kate." Jackson chuckled.

My dad seemed to narrow in on him calling me Kate instead of Katie.

"I did fail it, sir. I broke my leg last year and missed a lot of school work. Science didn't really come that easily to me to begin with. I guess I sorta gave up on it after a while. I passed everything else though. And I passed science this time too, so I'm completely caught up now on all my classes."

"I didn't know you broke your leg, Jackson?" I said. "That must have sucked."

"Yea. The hardest part was missing football season. But I got to play some this season and it felt great being out on the field with the guys." He looked at my mom. "This spaghetti is really good, Mrs. Grant."

"Thank you. And call me Olivia." Mom said. My dad's head snapped to my mom's direction and he scowled.

"So, what movie are the two of you going to see tonight?" Dad asked.

"I thought we'd keep it light and go see a comedy. I got tickets for Barely Getting By. I hope that's okay?"

"I've been wanting to see that one!" Mom said. "It looks really funny."

"What time does the movie start?" Dad asked.

"It starts at six thirty and I'll have Kate home by nine." Jackson said to my dad.

"Not a minute later." Dad warned.

"Dad! Calm down." I hissed.

After dinner was over, Lincoln and Anna and Jackson and I headed out the door. It felt good to get away from my crazy dad, if only for a few hours. I knew I'd get peppered with questions the second I walked into the door, but that was later. I was leaving on my first date and I was going to enjoy it.

I turned to Jackson in the backseat of the car and said, "I'm really sorry about my dad. He's kind of protective."

"Don't be sorry. You're his only daughter. I'd be over protective too."

I smiled at him, grateful that he understood. We rode to the mall and the four of us chatted along the way. Anna told us the name of the movie the two of them would be watching and thankfully it ended fifteen minutes later than ours did. It would give Jackson and I a few minutes to talk by ourselves.

Jackson bought two tickets to the comedy and we went into the theater while Lincoln and Anna made their way into theirs. We grabbed seats somewhere in the middle of the room and settled in with our popcorn and drinks. A few minutes later, the previews began playing loudly and our eyes were riveted to the big screen.

The movie was funny, and we laughed throughout the entire thing. Jackson was a perfect gentleman. He never tried to put his arm around me or hold my hand or kiss me. I knew my dad would be proud, even if he didn't believe it when I told him about it later on.

When the movie ended, we got up, and threw our trash away, as we made our way to the theater lobby. We sat down on some cushioned seats and talked and laughed about our favorite parts in the movie. Glancing up, Jackson noticed a mini arcade several feet away. He stood up and held a hand out to help me to me feet. He kept my hand in his as we walked toward the blinking lights and arcade music.

We played a game against each other, some sports game, and I actually won. I gloated, as is the Grant way, and he challenged me to a re-match. Knowing it had been all luck, I declined his offer with a grin. He took my hand again and we walked around looking at some of the other games.

Out in the lobby, unbeknownst to us, two adults walked very slowly through it and watched us in the arcade. "They seem to be having a good time?"

"Where the hell is Lincoln? He's supposed to be watching her."

"They probably went to watch another movie?"

"He's probably going to be grounded for a month! He had one job!"

"If you ground him, she'll know you were here. And that defeats the purpose."

"She's my only daughter! I'm not leaving her alone with some asshole to do whatever he wants to her!"

"Does it look like he's doing anything devious, Fitz?"

"No." He grumbled.

"Does it look like she's alarmed or worried for her safety?"

"No. If that fucker does anything more to her than hold her hand I will personally..."

"Oh hush! She is fourteen years old. And while she isn't completely independent yet, she has a good head on her shoulders. Give her some credit. She's my mini me after all."

"Exactly why I'm worried, Liv." They huddled in a corner of the room and Fitz put his arms around his wife, grinning. "You were so easy on our first date it was unreal. You were all hot and bothered for me in the back of that town car."

"A- I was a grown ass woman. B- I knew a good man when I saw one. Besides, you didn't put up a fight either. You were all hands and mouth on my skin. I'd say compared to that, this kid is doing fine."

"He'd better keep it that way if he wants to continue to breathe on his own."

"Why don't you and I go home and relive that happy memory? Carter is over at Ian's house for the night. We can send a text to Kate telling her they can stay out until ten?"

"Her name is Katie, Liv. And I don't know. What if..."

"Do they look like they are up to no good? You've got to let go a little bit, babe."

"Fine. But if anything happens to my daughter, I'm going to take it out on your ass!"

A slow grin spread across Olivia's face. "You promise?"

Fitz leaned down and kissed his wife. He ended the kiss by nibbling on her lower lip. "I might take it out on your ass anyway. Let's go home." The two of them ran to the car and tore out of the parking lot.

Lincoln and Anna met up with Katie and Jackson in the arcade. "Mom just text me and said we could stay out until ten. Something weird is going on." She told her brother.

"It probably has a lot to do with the fact that Carter is gone for the night and they are home alone." Lincoln replied.

"How is that possible? We just saw them in the lobby making out like...well, teenagers." Katie said.

"Yea, we saw them too. They were probably sitting in the theater with the two of you the whole time. You know how dad is?"

"I definitely heard them laughing." Katie said with a grin.

"You're not mad about it?"

"Nah. I was pretty much expecting something like that from them. They are good parents. A little over protective and definitely too handsy with each other, but good parents. And they love each other a lot. I hope to have that one day too." Katie said.

"So, what do you want to do now?" Anna asked the group. "We don't have to be back at your house for an hour."

"How about ice cream on me?" Jackson asked.

"That sounds perfect." Katie said, leading the way outside.


	50. BK Sex

Lincoln is 16

Carter & Kate are 15

BK Sex

It happens in every mother's life. One day your kids are newborns and you're rocking them to sleep and changing their diapers. And the next minute they are in high school, fully grown and full of sarcasm and big dreams. That's where Olivia is right now.

It's a rare moment where she is at home alone. Completely alone. Lincoln is with Fitz practicing for his driving test. Carter is at the high school taking the SAT's. And Kate is across the street with Anna. Olivia used to look forward to days like this when the silence could be appreciated after years of three babies, toddlers, kids, and teenagers being in her house making all kinds of noise. Now she hates the silence. It's a reminder that the silence will become the new normal in a few short years when her three babies graduate high school.

Just when she thinks she can't take another minute of it, the front door bursts open and Fitz and Lincoln walk in. "Dad, no one parallel parks anymore! It's stupid!"

"It might be stupid, but you still have to learn how to do it! It's part of the driving test, Link."

"Dad, I can afford to fail that one part of the test if I ace everything else. Relax, dude. I've GOT this!" Lincoln dashed upstairs to call Anna, leaving his parents in the living room.

"Why can't these kids just do what I tell them?" Fitz asked, as he leaned down to kiss his wife.

"Relax, dude. He's got this." Olivia said with a smile.

"I've got something you can get." He flirted.

"Well, once Lincoln officially has his driver's license he can take his siblings to school every day. And we, can stay at home. In bed. Where I get it best."

"I like the way you think, babe."

"I like the way you move when you're naked."

"Stop turning everything I say into a sexual innuendo."

"You're just jealous because I'm as good at it as you are."

"Pffffff. No one is as good at making mundane things sound sexual as a man, Liv."

"You love it and you know it." She said with a smile. She put her hands on his cheeks and pulled him down for a kiss, that quickly turned passionate.

Fitz pulled her to her feet, put his hands on her ass, and began walking her towards the stairs. They were kissing and giggling when they hit the first step. "Do you guys ever take a break?"

The adults pulled their mouths apart, but Fitz kept his hands where they were. "Do you know how to knock?" Fitz asked.

"On the front door of my own house?" Kate asked with an eyeroll.

"I can't wait until these brats are all in college." Fitz told his wife. "Just two more years."

"Watch it, dad or I'll go to community college and commute from home for a year."

"Would you really do that, Kate?" Olivia asked. It was her way of trying to cling to whichever one of her three ducks that stayed the closest.

"Ewww. No way! By then I will have lived with you guys for eighteen years! Why would I stay longer on purpose?" Why were parents so weird?

"These kids are a pain in the ass, Liv. Especially the girl one. " Fitz chuckled.

"Speaking of the girl one, I need twenty bucks, dad." Kate informed him.

"For what? I just gave you money last week."

"Yea, and this is a new week. Do I really need a reason?" She asked with a grin.

"You'd better be glad you're my favorite." He said, grinning back. He fished out his wallet and handed over the requested bill.

"Dad, you say that to all of us." she said with an eyeroll. She dashed up the stairs with the twenty in her hand.

"Doesn't make it less true." Fitz called out. He turned to his wife and asked, "What time does Carteroni need to be picked up?"

Olivia glanced at her watch. "He's getting a ride from Ian's mom when the test is over, which should be any time now. They are going to his house and Carter is spending the night tonight."

Fitz grinned widely. "So, we just need to get rid of the other two and we can enjoy a night home alone?"

"Yes. What did you have in mind if that happens?" She asked playfully.

"Lots and lots of crazy sex."

"Crazy sex huh? How crazy are we talking?"

"I'm talking BK sex."

Olivia's nose crinkled. "What the hell is BK sex?"

Fitz's grin was slow spreading. "Before kids sex."

"What's the difference in BK sex and AK sex?" She wondered.

"Think back in the recesses of your mind. In a world before kids roamed this house and made all sorts of noise and ate everything in sight. Back to when I had twenty bucks in my wallet and didn't give it to them for no good reason."

"Okay, I get the picture." She needed to stop him before he got out of hand.

"To a time when you screamed my name as loud as you wanted and as often as I made you scream it. Which was very very often." He said smirking.

"Fitz." She warned.

"To a time when we took baths together without having to move eighteen thousand toys out of the tub first."

"Don't you miss those little toys?" She asked in a soft voice.

"Not even a little bit." He replied with a chuckle. "To a time when we could walk around our own house buck ass naked if we wanted to and the only one who would probably see us is Charles. Yet, we didn't care."

"I cared! That man saw way more of my body than I would have liked. On multiple occasions!"

He ignored her. "To a time when one orgasm didn't mean the job was done. It meant we were just getting started."

"You should audition for the voice of the guy who announces movies. You're just as ridiculous." She muttered as she rolled her eyes. When she focused on his blue ones looking down at her with a gleam in them she admitted, "Multiple orgasms were really really good."

"That's my girl!" He said grinning. "Go drive into the city and find a hobo to take care of the other two kids for the night so you and I can get started on some BK sex. All night long, if you know what I mean?"

She ignored the hobo remark, knowing full well he was joking. "You mean until midnight?" She asked.

"No. I mean all night long! I took the day off tomorrow at work. We can watch the sun rise together and then sleep until noon if we want." It sounded like a hell of a great plan to him.

"We did that on our honeymoon in Aruba." She recalled with a smile. That had been one of the best weeks of her life and she owed it all to the man standing in front of her. "You picked me up off that bed, the one we did some pretty creative things on, if memory serves, and carried me into the living room to watch the sun come up. It was beautiful."

"We had the best honeymoon ever."

"Ever." She echoed.

"We deserve a night alone to relive BK moments." He encouraged.

"Stop saying BK. The fact of the matter is we have kids, Fitz. Three of them. And while I do sometimes miss the days of you and I doing whatever we want, I love our life now too. I wouldn't trade a moment of now for anything."

"I wouldn't either, Liv. I really am just kidding around. But you can't blame me for wanting a night alone with my wife?"

"I don't blame you. Not at all. I just know that the day is coming when they will all be gone, and it will be too quiet. And I'll miss the three of them terribly. When I think about it, it makes me kinda..."

"Sad?" He asked. When she nodded, Fitz pulled her close and held onto her for a long time. Olivia was a great mother to their kids. Truth be told, he hated the thought of them leaving too. He loved having them around and only gave them a hard time about it because he figured it was part of the fatherhood gig. All three of them knew how much he loved them and that he would do anything for them. Still, a night at home alone with Liv would be amazing and he wasn't letting go of the idea just yet.

"It's like the two of you are joined at the hip!" Lincoln said sarcastically from the top of the stairway. He'd been watching them for just a few seconds and didn't want to interrupt them. He liked knowing his parents were so close. He never had to worry about the word divorce being thrown around in their house. "I'm going to see Anna for a little bit and then I'm going to hang out with the guys at the lake. We're gonna camp out there tonight and go fishing til lunchtime tomorrow."

"Two down." Fitz whispered in his wife's ear. She chuckled and swatted his arm.

"Do you have your sleeping bag and tent? Take the bug spray with you or you'll end up with mosquito bites all over your arms and legs like last time." Olivia instructed.

"I left everything at Todd's house from the last time we went out there. Bug spray too." He grinned. "I just forgot to use it last time."

Keeping one arm around Olivia, Fitz asked, "Stupid question. Do you need some...? Before he could finish his sentence, Link had his hand out. He handed his firstborn a twenty and stuffed his wallet back in his pocket. "Like I said, stupid question."

"Text me when you're leaving please. I know Todd has his driver's license, but I still worry." Olivia said.

"You wouldn't be you if you didn't." Lincoln replied, giving his mother a hug. "And I will." Turning to the stairs, Lincoln yelled, "Come ON Kate!"

"Where is she going? And doesn't anyone call her Katie anymore?" Fitz asked in an annoyed voice.

"Dad, she's fifteen. Katie is a little girl's name. And she's spending the night with Anna. Unless she doesn't move her..." He cut his eyes to his parents and clamped his mouth shut. "Butt. I gotta go." He muttered and walked quickly to the front door and outside.

"He is you made over!" Olivia said shaking her head.

Fitz took a deep breath and let it out with a proud smirk. "Yea, he is, isn't he?"

"I said I'm coming. Jeez!" Kate huffed as she ran down the stairs. As she flew by her parents she said, "I'm going to Anna's for the night. Aunt Abby is taking us to the movies after lunch. Love you. Bye." She slammed the door behind her.

"That was easier than I thought it would be." Fitz put his arms around his wife. "Alone at last." He dipped his head down towards hers and hovered just above her lips for a second. He took a moment to just look at her. Even after all this time they had been together, Olivia really was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. And she was all his. The realization made his heart ache and swell with pride at the same time. He reached a hand up and grasped a loose strand of her silky black hair, rubbing it between his fingers. God, he loved her more than anything. He couldn't wait to show her.

Finally, he couldn't stand the anticipation any longer. He closed his eyes, tilted his head, and brushed his lips across hers in a soft kiss. As he began to pull away from her, to look at her again, Fitz felt Olivia's hand on the back of his neck, eagerly pulling him closer. She opened her mouth and invited his tongue to dance with hers in a sensual tango. The hand holding the loose strand of her hair ran along her scalp and roughly grabbed a fistful of Olivia's thick black mane and held her in place as he pillaged her mouth. Fitz savored the taste of her.

He knew she'd be thinking and worrying about her geese...whatever the hell she called them when they were two...and he knew she also needed to relax. He reluctantly pulled away from her mouth and watched her slowly open her eyes and look up into his. Recalling his earlier words, he suggested, "let's go take a bath."

"Really?" She asked, surprised by his idea.

"Yea." He brought out the accent he used on her a few times before kids. "It would be a nice way to start the evening of crazy sex, no?"

She grinned up at him. She remembered that voice. It had been a while since she had heard it, but she definitely remembered it. She closed her eyes and gave him a curt nod, and then followed him upstairs. She could pull out a few old surprises of her own.

Fitz turned on the water, making it a little on the warm side and added bubble bath. He knew Olivia loved bubbles in her bath and he was going to try to make this evening as memorable as he could for her. Relaxing too. Well, until later he thought with a smirk.

When the tub was filled, Fitz took off his clothes, stepped in, and leaned against the back of it, sighing heavily. It felt so good to just sit in a hot bath. Better knowing his wife would be joining him any minute. He glanced around the tub and the memories of when the kids were much smaller flooded his mind.

Carter and Katie had had their very first bath at home in this tub. Lincoln had splashed and dumped so much water on the floor that Fitz just knew it would have to be replaced before the boy turned two. There were no toys sitting along the edges of the tub, waiting to be grabbed up and played with by wet little pudgy hands. The thought did make Fitz a little sad. He shook it off when Olivia stepped into the bathroom wearing a silky robe.

She stepped in front of the large mirror over the sink and pulled her hair up into a bun before turning to her husband and smiling at him. He had already wet his hair, and his curls were slicked back. The lone  
rebellious curl that was Olivia's favorite and flopped down on one side of his forehead was doing its job taking up the space it always had. "Hi." She said.

"Hi." He replied.

Olivia dropped her robe and stood before him with nothing on but a smile.

"HELLO!" Fitz said loudly, as his eyes anxiously and unashamedly raked over her body. He held out a wet bubble covered hand and watched as she stepped forward and took it.

Olivia stepped gingerly into the water and pulled her foot back out. "The water is too hot!"

"It feels good once you get used to it. Besides, warmer water means we can stay in here longer." He wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Don't be such a baby and get in here so I can grope you."

She stepped back into the water, making little noises until her skin got used to the warmer temperature. Finally, she sat down and leaned back against his chest, resting her forearms on top of his muscular fuzzy thighs. "Ohmygod this feels amazing." She said with her eyes closed.

Fitz had already started touching her skin, and his eager hands quickly made their way to her breasts. He began massaging them and rolling her nipples between his fingers. "Mmmmm. Yes, it does."

Olivia pressed her already writhing body into his chest and lifted her hands, clasping them onto the back of his neck. She dropped her wet right hand to his cheek and turned her head, pulling his face towards hers. Their lips met in a slow sensual kiss that grew deeper and more sensual as one of his bubbled hands slipped down between her thighs and began to explore her. Olivia bent her knees and pressed them to either side of the white tub as her husband slid a finger inside of her.

She broke the kiss, breathing hard and trying to keep up some semblance of focus while Fitz sent incredible sensations throughout her body and played it like his favorite song. The second his thumb began rubbing circles on her wet bundle of nerves Olivia began chanting his name as he kissed her shoulder. She went flying over the edge of all sanity moments later. Breathing heavily, her head dropped like a stone back onto his chest while her body went limp.

"Someone's out of practice." Fitz teased. He picked up the loofa and started dragging it along her shoulder and down her arm, leaving a soapy trail on her skin.

"Someone hasn't done that to me in a very long time." Olivia replied accusingly.

Fitz threw the loofa into the water and grabbed his wife's hips, lifting her up and turning her around to face him. He set her on his lap and looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Is there anything else you would like me to do to you that I haven't done in a very long time?"

Olivia dropped her eyes to his chest and lifted a finger to it. She concentrated on the trail her finger was making on his hairy skin as it moved left and right in a lazy fashion. Further and further south it slowly went until it landed on the smoother hairless skin below his waist and the water. She raked her fingernail up the stiff length of him before she grabbed him in her fist and began moving it up and down. He inhaled sharply, and Olivia flicked her eyes up to his. The brilliant blue was much darker now. Almost gray in color. Let's see how long you last, mister, she thought to herself.

Fitz grabbed her hand. This was not the way he planned on finishing. "Liv. Stop."

Instead, Olivia leaned towards his chest, her fist still moving and picking up in speed. She licked his nipple before biting down on it. Hard. She released it and moved up to his ear. "Uh uh. Remember, the first orgasm is just the beginning. And if we're keeping score, I owe you one. Besides, I'm expecting a long hard night from you." She licked the shell of his ear as his hips moved, sloshing water over the side of the tub.

Not long afterwards, he grunted, and his belly tightened as he reached his peak. His eyes were closed, but Olivia kissed the tip of his nose and said, "now we're even." She pulled the plug on the tub and turned on the shower.

Once they were clean, Fitz grabbed his wife's hand and, not bothering with towels, practically dragged her to their bed. "Fitz, we're still all wet." She protested.

"You're going to get a whole long wetter before I'm done with you." He replied, not looking back at her. Fitz pulled her to standing in front of him and attacked her lips in a feverish kiss. He plunged his tongue into her mouth and walked her to their bed. Her hands had just come up to play in his wet curls when he gently pushed her back on their bed and pounced on top of her, settling between her thighs. "I hope you're ready for number two. It really is going to be a long hard night."

He immediately dipped his head and wasted no time whipping her body into a frenzy of want. Fitz licked and sucked and prodded and flicked his tongue on her relentlessly. He felt Olivia's anxious hands painfully grab fistfuls of his hair as her legs opened wider for him. She wiggled under him, as if trying to get away while at the same time holding his head in place. She cursed him for being so good at his task and pleaded with him to never stop, all in the same breath. He loved every second of it.

He wasn't giving her time to catch her breath. It was already coming out ragged as she gasped for air and raced her way toward the oncoming climax. Olivia had always loved how her husband's skilled mouth felt on her and this time was no different. But there was a difference. There weren't any kids in the house, Olivia reminded herself, and that meant she could be a loud as she wanted to be. Feeling that freedom, she loudly moaned his name. "Fiiiiiitzzzz!"

Nothing made him harder or made him more determined to please his woman than hearing her say his name in that delirious sex induced voice. Being married to Olivia for almost eighteen years, he knew all her signs and could read her body language as well as his own. She was on the brink of exploding, and he would bet money it was gonna be a loud one. He continued his assault on her femininity until he heard her scream so loud he was sure every glass in the kitchen was shattered. Yea, he still had it.

Olivia rolled onto her side and curled up into the fetal position dragging air into her ravaged body as it shook from the aftermath of her orgasm. He had effectively just turned her into a bowl of jello. She greedily already wanted more from him. Much more. As soon as her heart rate slowed down to somewhere in the normal range.

Fitz didn't let her lay like that for long. He grabbed her ankles, flipping her onto her back and slithered up her body. He kissed her overheated exposed skin as he made his way up to face her. He paused when he found his face hovering over her two heaving breasts. Fitz stuck his tongue out and dragged his flattened tongue from the underside to up across the stiff bud staring back at him. Olivia jerked at the sensation, and Fitz watched the soft rounded skin jiggle. It made him hungry and he opened his mouth, taking her nipple in and began sucking on it like a starved baby.

Olivia's legs came up and around her husband's body on reflex. She didn't know how much more of this she could take, but she was willing to do the research. She felt Fitz hold her nipple between his teeth as he began to pull his head away from her chest. When she was free from his mouth's hold on her skin, she watched him attach himself to the other one and repeat the process. "Fitz, I need you inside of me."

He was in the middle of releasing the other nipple when he paused and looked up at her. Her cheeks were flushed. Her hair was going to be difficult to comb through in the morning. And she had a very distinct fuck me look on her face. She wanted it bad. And he was going to give it to her. With her nipple still held hostage between his teeth, he said, "I'm kinda in the middle of somethin right now." He focused on his work and continued to slowly pull away from her until her nipple was released.

"Now do you think...?" She began.

Fitz slammed into her all the way to the hilt, catching her off guard. He watched her face as it registered surprise and her hands quickly grabbed onto his back in a death grip. "Thinking is the last thing on my mind right now." He pulled almost completely out of her and thrust himself back inside the velvety warmth just as quickly. And then he began jackhammering in and out of her.

"Ohhhh god!" Were the only words she could get out.

"You like that?" He asked looking down at her.

"MmmHmm."

"You're being...awfully quiet for someone who...doesn't...have to be." He grunted out.

"OHMYGOD! I love it! Don't stop!" She said exaggeratedly.

"You're a shitty actress, babe. It's a good thing you're a lawyer."

"Do you want me to sue you for not living up to the terms of your verbal contract?" She asked.

That got him to still his movements. "What verbal contract?"

"Do the words 'it really is going to be a long hard night' ring a bell to the defendant?"

He raised his eyebrows. "So, now I'm the defendant?"

"You are. You made a verbal promise to the plaintiff, me, and as of this moment, you are not living up to your claims. What do you have to say about that?"

"I think you talk too damn much when I don't want you to and not enough when I do want you to." He grumbled.

"Would you care to settle this out of court, Mr. Grant?"

"Depends on the terms. What are you offering, Mrs. Grant?"

"A compromise. You will go back to your previous activities – something I rrrrreally like a lot – and I will spout encouragements loudly and enthusiastically."

"Without the sarcasm?"

"Without the sarcasm."

"So help you god?"

"Shut up and screw my brains out."

"Yes, ma'am. I agree to those terms." He leaned down and pecked her lips with a grin. "I love it when you go lawyer on me during naked time."

Olivia picked her head up off the pillow and attached her lips to his. She brought a hand up into those luscious curls at the back of his neck and brought his face down to hers as she sank back into the fluffy pillow. The second Fitz opened his mouth Olivia's tongue darted into it to dance with his. She felt his body resume its lightning quick thrusts and arched her back on a little sigh, loving the feel of their joined bodies. Before the kiss was broken, Fitz held onto her bottom lip and sucked on it. She turned her head, breaking contact with his lips and concentrated on moving her hips in time with his.

"Fitz!" she pleaded. "I need...I need..."

Since she had exposed it so freely, his mouth was playing with the creamy cocoa skin on her neck. He was trying to not leave a mark on her like a horny seventeen year old, but it was very difficult in moments like these. Olivia felt his lips leave her skin and heard his sexy baritone voice say, "tell me what you need."

"MORE! Faster! Harder!" Olivia commanded loudly.

He growled low in his throat but complied with her demands and somehow doubled his skin slapping efforts. His fast movements made Olivia look like a blur underneath him. He felt her clawing at his back, heard her breathing become more labored, watched her looking up at him as pleasure spread across her face. Sex with Olivia was sexy as hell, even after almost eighteen years together.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god!" She chanted. Fitz knew she was just about there and reached a hand down between their bodies and began to massage her center. Seconds later, she screamed, "FUUUUUUUUUCK MEEEEEE!" As she tried to remember how to breathe. It didn't take him long to follow after her. And then it was his turn to remember how to breathe.

Both of them were gasping for air lying side by side on their big bed. It was entirely too hot in their room all of a sudden and Fitz leaned over to the bedside table and grabbed the remote, turning on the ceiling fan. When their breathing and the temperature seemed somewhat back to normal, Fitz said, "That last thing you screamed? Was it a demand? A request?"

"Just a satisfied outburst."

"I can work with that." He said grinning. "I do love you. More than life itself."

"I love you too. But we aren't in our twenties anymore. I need a little recovery time before the next round." She admitted.

"Thank god." He laughed.

A little while later, Olivia woke up in the middle of the night with a severe need for something to drink. She got out of bed as gingerly, as she could as not to disturb Fitz, who was passed out. Her legs still felt a bit wobbly from the earlier activity. "Where you goin'?" he mumbled beside her. She glanced over at him and smiled. He was laying on his stomach and the blanket was almost as wildly tangled as his hair. He was just as worn out as she was.

She leaned down and gently kissed his cheek. "I'm going to get some water. You want anything?" He grunted in the negative and Olivia grabbed the sheet from the floor and wound it around her body and left the room.

Once downstairs, she padded into the dark kitchen and opened the refrigerator door. She held the door open for the light and grabbed a plastic bottle of water, unscrewed the cap, and took a long drink. The cold liquid felt fantastic sliding down her parched throat. She smiled in the semi lit room as she recalled the past few energetic hours upstairs with Fitz. BK sex was definitely a thing Olivia had forgotten about but thoroughly enjoyed being reminded of.

She screwed the little clear cap back onto the water bottle and holding tightly to the sheet in her hand, she turned around. She was easing the refrigerator door closed when Olivia noticed someone sitting in a chair at the table. She shrieked and clutched the sheet tighter. "Who's there?" she asked in a shaky voice.

She heard a familiar chuckle. One she hadn't heard in a very long time, but she couldn't place it. "The two of you are never fully dressed when I come around."

Olivia squinted in the darkness as some of the panic was replaced with confusion. "Charles?" she asked.

"Well, at least you haven't forgotten about me. It's been a while, Olivia." He said.

Was he smiling? "What the hell are you doing in our house at this hour?" she demanded.

He chuckled again and stood up, coming towards her. "I just wanted to stop by and see everyone."

She took a step backwards. He was freaking her out. "Well, it's hardly an appropriate hour for visitors, Charles. Go home and give us a call tomorrow. We can arrange a visit for another day."

"Go home?" He asked in a confused voice.

"Yes!" she said louder. "Go home!" Olivia wondered if she screamed loud enough if it would wake Fitz up?

"I am home." He grabbed the edge of the sheet. "Whatcha got on under that sheet, Liv?"

Olivia snatched it out of his hand and took several more steps backwards. "You need to go. Now, Charles!"

"Just let me take a peek under the sheet and I'll leave you alone. I promise, babe." He said.

She jerked my head back and squinted at him. "Don't call me babe! GET OUT!"

Again, he grabbed the sheet, but instead of trying to lift the corner of it up to see what was underneath it, he jerked her against his chest. "Don't be stingy. Just a peek. I've seen it all before." He grinned at her and her stomach churned.

She closed her eyes and started smacking him. His hands, his chest, his head. Wherever her hands landed. "Don't touch me, Charles! I told you to go home!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Liv! What the hell are you doing? What's the matter?" Olivia heard Fitz say.

She looked up saw him lying on top of her. He had her hands pinned beside her head. She squinted in the dark room and her eyes darted around. This wasn't the kitchen. "Where is he?" She asked.

"Where's who?"

"Charles! He was just here!" Olivia shrieked.

"What? No, he wasn't." Fitz insisted.

"Yes, he was! I went downstairs to get some water. You even asked me where I was going before I left! When I got down there he was sitting at the kitchen table. He started to grab the sheet like...some kind of pervert!

"Did he talk to you?" Fitz asked with a small smile.

Olivia scowled at him. "Of course he talked to me!"

"What did he say?"

Fitz was being awfully calm after learning that someone had been inside their house a few moments ago. Calmer still when she reported that their former neighbor had been trying to see her naked. "He said he wanted to peek under the sheet. That he had seen it all before. Or something like that. He even called me babe. It was very weird and uncomfortable. Where'd he go? Did he leave?"

"He was never here."

"Yes, he was, Fitz! I know what I saw!" Olivia sputtered.

"You dreamed all of that." He said simply.

"I didn't dream it. I'm telling you. He was here!"

And I'm telling you," he began gently. "You've been asleep right beside me for the past two hours, Liv. You never moved, and you definitely never went downstairs. It was a dream."

"But..."

"It makes so much sense to me now. I was trying to sneak in a late night snack under the sheet, if you know what I mean, when you started thrashing around and mumbling angrily like an insane person. I was wondering where the name Charles came into play?" He grinned broadly down at her and then kissed her nose.

"I dreamed it? He was never in our house?"

Fitz shook his head back and forth and let go of her hands. "I was about to wake your ass up and demand to know who Charles is. But now that I know it was just a dream, I'm pretty proud of myself. I knocked you into a sex coma."

"Ohmygod." Olivia whined. "Why are you like this?"

"We need to get rid of the kids more often, babe. I laid it on you good!"

"Go to sleep now, Fitz."

He pulled at the edge of the sheet. "No way. I still want my snack."

Olivia jerked it out of his hand. "Go downstairs and get something. The snack shack is closed for the night."

"No, it isn't." Fitz sang. "All night long means all night long. And now that you are awake, I intend to wear your cute little ass out some more."

Olivia smiled up at the crazy man she called her husband. She didn't know whether to be turned on or laugh in his face. Going with the former, she put her arms around him and rolled them so she was on top of him. Looking down at the insanely sexy specimen of a man under her, Olivia said, "this time I'm calling the shots."

"Don't you think we need a verbal contract set up first?" he asked sarcastically with a grin.

She moved her body forward until her center was just above his face. She held onto the headboard of their bed and said, "I think it's best if you don't talk for a while. Don't you?"

"The snack shack looks open for business to me." He said, licking his lips. He grabbed her ass, pulling her forward the remaining two inches and kept quiet for a very very long time.


	51. Boy Wonder

Lincoln is 17

Carter & Kate are 16

Boy Wonder

"Liiiiiiv?" Fitz yelled from the living room. "I'm heading out in fifteen minutes."

"Have a good day." She called back from somewhere upstairs.

He stood there, looking up at the empty stairway with his head cocked to the side and raised eyebrows. She had to be messing with him? "Aren't you gonna come tell me bye?"

"Bye." Her voice said.

"The right way!"

"Buh bye?" She asked.

"Olivia Grant? Get your ass down here and tell me goodbye the right way or else." He falsely threatened.

"Or else what?" She shot back.

"Liiiiiiiiiiiiv! I need my goodbye kiss. Please?" He was whining. Sort of. He didn't care though. Fitz needed to see his woman before he left. Every day she gave him a hug and a kiss and some sweet sappy words before he left for work, or the store, or to go across the street. Today wasn't going to be any different. Even if he had to go get it from her.

"Be right down!"

"That's more like it." He muttered.

"Whad you say?" She called back.

"Nothing!" He rolled his eyes. Damn woman had ears like a bat. He patted his ass to make sure his wallet was in his pocket, tapped his upper thigh to make sure he had his keys. That just left his phone. He was looking around for the damned device he was so dependent on when his youngest son flew down the stairs.

"Hey dad. Whatcha doin'?" Carter asked.

He turned over a couch cushion, knowing his phone wasn't there, but looking anyway. "Uhhhh, looking for my phone." He set the cushion back in place and turned to go look in the kitchen, even though he hadn't even been in there yet.

"Can I ask you a question?" Carter said to his father's back.

"Of course you can son." Fitz said absentmindedly. "Dammit, where is that phone at?"

"Can I go to work with you today?" Carter waited for the sarcasm that was sure to come.

That stopped Fitz in his tracks. He turned to look at his son and squinted at him. "Say that one more time?"

Carter rolled his eyes. "Dad!"

"You are choosing to spend your Saturday at the bakery? With me?" There had to be more to it than Carter was letting on. His kids didn't just offer to join him at work early on a Saturday morning.

"Yea." Was all the younger Grant said.

"Why? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'd love to have an extra pair of hands at The Sweet Spot, but why do you want to go today?" Fitz inquired.

Carter shrugged. "I dunno. I just do."

"No, no, no, no. No teenager wakes up early on a Saturday and decides to willingly go to work with their father. It doesn't happen. So, tell me why."

"Can you not make a big deal out of it?" Maybe he shouldn't have said anything? This was probably not a good idea to begin with, Carter thought to himself. With a normal parent it would be difficult. With his dad, it would be a game of twenty questions. Four questions down.

"Son! You are my laziest child and have been since the day you were born. We had to force feed you bottles because you fell asleep mid feeding every single time. You keep your bedroom looking like the football field after an NFL Super bowl game. I admire those qualities and wish that I could live the same way." Fitz put his hand up close to his mouth, leaned closer to his son, and whispered, "But your mother."

"But his mother what?" A voice asked behind them.

"Your mother...uhhhh, keeps a clean house and I don't think she would like for me to dirty it up?" He hoped it was enough of a reason to keep Liv off his ass for now.

Olivia pecked his lips, grinning. "Nice recovery, babe." She held out her hand in his direction. "Here's your phone."

"Thank you! Where the hell was it?"

"On the bedside table, next to your watch. Am I gonna have to watch for signs of early dementia with you?"

"Hold on, Liv. I am waiting to hear what Carteroni has to say in response to me."

Carter rolled his eyes. There they go again, Carter thought. They didn't care who knew it or what they saw. And that made them gross. He was never falling in love or getting married. "Thank you for the stroll down memory lane, dad. But I'm sixteen now. And while I am very aware of my laziness, I'm fine with it. I just thought it would be cool to go to work with you today and see how you run the place? If that's asking too much then..."

"Awww, you want to go to work with your dad today? That's great, Carter." Olivia chirped. She looked at her husband. "Isn't that great, Fitz?"

"Yea. It's great." He deadpanned. "Look, I'm fine with you coming to work with me. But if you think you're gonna sit on your ass all day playing with your phone, think again. It ain't called work because a long time ago someone ran out of words to describe it. It's work."

"Ohmygod. I know that, dad. Can you calm down just a little bit? I wasn't even going to take my phone. I really want to learn about the bakery and how it runs. I might even have some ideas to improve business?"

"You're gonna improve my business?" He looked at his wife. "He's gonna improve my business. Okay, smartass. Let's go to work together and see whatcha got." The truth was, Fitz was intrigued with his son's declaration. He wanted to come to work with him?

"If you don't want me to, it's no big deal, dad." Carter said somewhat deflated. He knew it was asking too much without a detailed explanation.

"I think this will be good. For both of us. I'm just giving you a hard time because I can." Fitz slung his arm around his son's shoulder. "I might just learn something from you today. Two hour lunch work for you?"

Carter grinned. "Now you're speaking my language, dad. Just...don't try to force feed me in public."

"Damn smartass kids. You can drive while I text sexy things to your mother."

"Ehhhhhhh." Carter said with a disgusted face. He caught the keys his father threw at him and went outside to start the car.

"Now, for my proper goodbye." Fitz said, winding his arms around his wife's little waist.

"Are you really gonna text me sexy things?" She asked with a grin.

"You want me to take a picture of my...what the hell do the kids call it? Junk? And send it to you?" He asked, chuckling. "Why do they call it junk when it's anything but that?"

Olivia was giggling at his ridiculousness. "I don't know, but no thank you. I've seen it many many times. I already know what it looks like."

"Probably wouldn't all fit in that little picture anyways."

"I know it wouldn't. But I do know where it does fit. Perfectly."

"Mmmmm. Don't start, babe. The boy is out in the car."

"Speaking of the boy, I think..."

"We weren't speaking about the boy. We were speaking about my ginormous junk and where it fits."

"You're so weird." She laughed.

"You married me anyways." He said joining her.

"About Carter. In all seriousness, I think there's something you should know about him."

"Okay. What?"

"Remember when he took the SAT's last year?"

"Yea?"

"He got a pretty good score. He aced the math."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because Carter told me something recently that he wanted to tell you himself."

"And what's that?" Fitz asked.

"He wants to learn about your business because he wants to help you run it one day." Olivia knew that Carter would put off telling his father what his ambitions are for the future. She just wanted to give her husband a heads up about it so he would listen to their son and see if he should pursue his dream or get a new one?

"What?" Surprise wasn't a strong enough word for what Fitz was feeling right now. He wondered why Carter hadn't told him about his plans.

"Yea. He plans to go to college for business and help you run The Sweet Spot."

"I'm sure it's just his plan for today. It'll change, Liv. Kids are fickle as hell when they're sixteen."

"He's been talking to me about it off and on for over a year. I think he looks at today as a very small first step as a peek into your bakery. I'm just saying, take him seriously and listen to him. He might have more to offer than you think?"

"One of my kids wants to run the business with me? Holy shit! I never thought it would be Carter though."

"Let me guess. You pictured Kate working side by side with her daddy icing pink cupcakes and thinking rainbows shoot out your ass?" She rolled her eyes and then yelped when he pinched her ass.

He wore a miffed frown. "She grew up and got boy crazy."

"Damn kid! The nerve of her." Olivia said mocking him.

"You see!" He pointed at her. "That right there is where our kids get their smart assy ways!"

She laughed at him while Carter honked the car horn outside.

"Good talk. Thank you for coming to tell me goodbye the right way. I can't start my day without a hug and a kiss from my sexy wife."

"You're very welcome. I hope the two of you have a great day today. You be sweet to my boy."

"Maybe when I get home I'll check to see if rainbows shoot out of your ass?" He said giving her a lopsided smile.

"Get out!" She shoved him towards the door.

"I love you. I'll call you in a little while." He promised pecking her lips.

Fitz and Carter walked into the bakery, unlocked the front door, and then locked it back behind them. They had just made it past the front counter when Charlotte made her way out on the floor from the back. "You're late, bo..." The accusation died on her lips when she spotted who was with her boss. "Ohmygod! Carter! What's my favorite Grant doing here this morning?"

"I thought I was your favorite Grant?" Fitz grumbled.

"Not even close. Just because you sign my checks doesn't mean you're my favorite." She hugged Carter affectionately. "How are ya, bud? Gosh, you're getting so tall!"

Carter put his arms around Charlotte, hugging back. "I'm great. I just came to work with dad."

She held him at arms length. "What did you do?"

Carter looked her in the eye confused. "What do ya mean?"

"I'm assuming you're here because you're being punished. I want to hear all about the crime." She grinned.

"Nah. It's nothing like that. I wanted to come to work." Carter told her.

"That's great! You want some breakfast?" She offered. "We just finished icing the doughnuts." Carter nodded eagerly and began to follow her to the back.

"Are you going to get me some breakfast too?" Fitz asked, following them.

"Get your own breakfast." Charlotte replied sassily.

Once everyone had been fed and all of the breakfast foods were in the display case, Fitz opened the door, greeting most of the customers by name as they entered. Carter watched with fascination at the people skills his father exhibited. He never once was sarcastic with any of them. Carter watched his father walk around the bakery and personally talk to those who had opted to eat their morning meal inside the bakery. It was nice to see the business side of his dad.

He finished wiping down the counter just as another mini rush came through the door. Carter helped fill their orders quickly and made some small talk with the customers while he was at it. Most of them knew he was Fitz's son, but were amazed at how much he had grown up from the last pictures his father had proudly shown them. His dad didn't just have a business here, he had relationships with the people who came in. Carter had a few ideas to capitalize on that. Ones that would increase business as well. He'd have to figure out a way to talk to his dad about them.

Once the breakfast rush was completely over, Fitz went to his son and said. "Let's go take a break. You've earned it." He grabbed two juices, passing one to Carter, and both of them went outside to enjoy the cool fall breeze. They stood side by side, since there was nowhere for them to sit down, and took healthy pulls from their chilled juice.

"You get a busy morning crowd, dad! I didn't realize you served that many people."

"We do alright." Fitz replied. He could tell Carter was chomping at the bit to talk to him about something and he wanted to give him the opportunity to do so. It was why he suggested the break. The kid had worked his ass off the past three hours too and definitely deserved it. He also remembered what Liv had told him before they left. "Sometimes it's busier and sometimes it's not."

"You have a great relationship with your customers. This isn't just a place where they come to get something to eat. They come because you take the time to talk to them too. I think that's cool."

"Thanks, Cart. That means a lot to me." He took another sip of his drink and wondered if he should ask Carter if he had any ideas to better the bakery or let him say something on his own? Knowing Carter was the lazier one of his kids, Fitz decided to give him a little help. "Did you notice anything that I could change to make things better around here?"

Did his dad just ask him if he could think of any changes to make at the bakery to improve things? It seemed too good to be true. Carter looked up at his father, but he was looking down the street at the traffic jam that was currently happening. He wondered which idea he should mention first? Glancing around, Carter decided to go for the easier and the most obvious. "Well, if you had a few tables and chairs out here, people could eat outside when the weathers nice? A lot of places have that option."

Fitz glanced around the front of the bakery. The kid was right. The sidewalk was plenty wide enough for two or three tables and some chairs. And he and Carter wouldn't be standing up right now. He had to admit it was a good idea. "That's an interesting idea. It wouldn't cost too much either. I'll look into that. Thanks, son."

Carter nodded casually and looked to his right. Turned around in fact so he could hide the huge grin on his face. His dad thought it was a good idea! He knew that it was, but hearing his father admit it helped his confidence soar a little higher. He wondered if he should mention one of the other ideas that he...

"Anything else?" Fitz asked.

Carter turned around with a straight face and looked into the same blue eyes that he himself had. His father was being serious! Ten minutes ago, Carter had half a dozen ideas in his head. Now he couldn't think of any of them. He glanced inside through the glass, hoping to recall something! And then it hit him. "Well, yea. Actually, there is something else. Most businesses have Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts. Most of your customers this morning were closer to your age than mine. The key is social media, dad. You've got to set up an account on each of those social media platforms to draw in the younger crowd."

His father looked at him skeptically.

Carter chuckled. "I'm serious. Give me your phone for a sec." When the device was in his hand, Carter said, "Call out the name of any business you yourself use."

Fitz rattled off the name of the dry cleaners where he had met Olivia.

Carter tapped on the face of the device with his fingertips. "Boom!" Carter handed his father his phone. "They are on two of the three. I'm tellin' ya. Social media is how to attract the younger generation."

"I don't have time to run a business and three social media accounts for it, Cart." Fitz admitted.

"Hire someone younger to do it for you, dad. The increase in business will take care of the rest."

"Hire someone younger? That's your advice?" Fitz asked pointedly.

"Yea."

"How about you?"

"How about me what? Hire someone?"

"No, how about you run the bakery's social media accounts? You're young and in the know."

"Are you being sarcastic or serious?"

"I'm totally serious."

"You'd let me do that?" Carter still couldn't tell if his father was being straight up with him? It would be great to start up the accounts and share photos of the place along with upcoming news and events. Like the field trips the elementary schools take to the bakery every year. Or the cupcake decorating event the bakery hosts every Fourth of July. Maybe he could talk his dad into making holiday treats to sell?

"Hell, I'd pay you to do that!" That was easier than Fitz thought it would be. The boy had fresh ideas that were good. Why not utilize him to implement them?

His father was going to let him run the accounts?! Carter was determined to make his dad proud and increase business with this endeavor. "Seriously, dad? Cause I'd totally do it. I'd do it really well too. I promise!"

"I believe you. You run social media for The Sweet Spot for a month. If I don't see any type of increase in sales, then we'll move on to your next big idea. Deal?" Fitz held out his hand.

"Are you just doing this because I'm your kid? You don't have to, you know?" He didn't want special treatment because he was his father's son. He wanted to earn his father's respect with his work, not just because they shared the same last name.

"I know that. It's my business and I make the decisions. But it was your idea and I trust you, Carter. I know you'll put your everything into it." The kid was practically jumping up and down. Excitement was coursing through Carter's veins. It had been a long time since Fitz had felt that way about his business. It was refreshing to see in his son. He'd give the kid a chance. Carter would do a much better job at it than he would himself. Fitz knew he had no idea how to create or run any of that stuff, just like he knew the accounts were a great idea and needed to be run by someone younger.

"You've got yourself a deal." Carter said, shaking his father's hand. "But you're gonna need to get a few little signs to put on each of the tables. You know, those standing up laminated things? You should have follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram on them. That way, your customers will have something to read and do while they sit there and eat their food."

Fitz thought it over and nodded. "I know a guy in the printing business who won't charge me an arm and a leg to do it. I'll call him when we go inside. When do you think you can get those accounts set up? It'd be better if they were already created before we find out someone else has the name, right?"

"Yea, that's true. I'll go in and check it out on the computer in your office. When I have them set up then you can call your guy."

"Good plan. Breaks over. Go do whatever the hell you're gonna do and then find me. I want to see what you've done before I call him." Fitz watched his son take a few steps into the street with his phone. "What are you doing?"

"I'm taking a picture of the front of the bakery for your Twitter header."

"What's a...whatever you just said?"

"Leave it to me, dad. I'll show it to you when I'm done." Carter looked down at the phone, came back to the sidewalk, and pushed a few buttons before handing it back to his father. "I'll come get you in fifteen minutes."

Fitz watched his son walk into the bakery with a purpose. It was nice to see Carter taking the initiative with something. He wondered what the outcome would be for the bakery? It couldn't hurt to get more eyes on the place. He tipped the plastic bottle up to his lips and emptied it. Carrying it inside, Fitz went inside to call Liv before getting ready for the lunch crowd. "Hey, babe. Guess what?"

"I don't know, but I bet you're gonna tell me?"

"My kid is a genius. Definitely takes after me." Fitz said proudly.

"I told you he's smart."

"He's gonna make social media accounts for the bakery and I'm going to pay him to run them."

"Wow! That is a great idea, babe." Olivia encouraged.

"He's had a few really good ideas this morning. I think he has a lot more, but might be a little nervous telling me what they are? I'm trying not to push him but at the same time, I want to know what else is rolling around in that brain of his?"

"Give him time. I'm sure it's scary for him to tell his dad how he could change the business that's been around longer than he's been alive? He might be on the lazy side, but he's not shy. Be patient with him."

"You're right. As always."

"I know. What other changes has he mentioned?"

"He said I should put a couple of tables and chairs on the sidewalk in front of the bakery, so people could eat outside on nice days."

"I love that idea! I'd eat out there too if you had tables. What a smart kid I had."

"Dad, come and see what I've done and give it the yay or nay." Carter said, interrupting his father's call.

"Gotta go, babe. Lots to do before we start lunch. Love you."

"Love you too."

A week later, Fitz knocked on Carter's door before walking in to wake his son up. He tripped on something on his way to Carter's bed and almost fell on his ass. "Dude. Get up. It's time to make the doughnuts!"

Carter mumbled something unintelligible and pulled the covers up over his head.

"Come on. You know you want to go to work with your old man and make a million changes to the place, so that it looks nothing like what I originally intended." Fitz laughed. He shook his son and said, "The early bird gets the worm, bud."

"I'm not going in today, dad. I'm too tired." Carter whined from under the blankets.

Fitz felt more than a little disappointed at his son's lack of interest in something he had started with great enthusiasm. He reminded himself, as he stood up and began making his way out of the boy's room, that teenagers are fickle and that this phase was probably over. He was just about to turn the doorknob when Carter sprung out of bed, fully dressed, and shouted, "Gotcha!"

The kid was dressed and ready to go. Fitz grinned at him in the darkened room. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"It's one way for me to take over your business." Carter said, grinning back. Realizing what he had just admitted to, his eyes grew wide and he began to sputter. "I mean...Well...I actually meant..."

"Your mother already told me of your grand plans, Cart. Don't stress over it, kid."

"I'm sorry, dad."

"Don't be sorry. If it's something you really want to do, don't ever be sorry." Fitz stumbled through the teenager's bedroom and sat down on his bed. "What I want to know if why didn't you tell me you were interested in working at the bakery? Or, take over completely?"

"I don't want to take over completely. I know the business is yours. I wouldn't do that to you. I want to go to college and learn about business. When I'm done, I'd like to come back and work alongside you. I know there are things that I could do to help. And I'll be better able to help when I'm out of college. Things to make The Sweet Spot more successful. Whatever I've been sharing with you lately are just the ramblings of a sixteen year old kid with a head full of ideas. I know that."

"Your idea of getting the bakery on social media was a phenomenal success." Fitz admitted.

"Really?"

"Yea. Business has spiked over the past few days since I got the signs put up letting the customers know we are on...whatever the hell it was you put us on. Twittergram?"

Carter tipped his head back and laughed. "Yea, dad. Twittergram. And that's awesome!" He smiled proudly that his idea worked. He knew that it would but hearing his father tell him the news really validated it. Having an honest talk about his future with his father felt good. Letting him know what his intentions were and making sure his dad didn't feel like he was out to steal something he had created long before Carter was born was a heavy load off of his shoulders too. The bonus was he loved working with his dad. Now that he knew it, Carter felt like he had a purpose in life.

"Look Cart, I want you to go to college and learn all about whatever it is you're interested in. And if it turns out that you get there and decide to...become a lawyer, I won't be upset. I'll be really proud of you. I want you to do whatever it is that makes you happy."

"Thanks, dad. But I'm not going to change my mind. I really want to work side by side with you at the bakery. It's what I've wanted to do for a while now. I just didn't know how to tell you." Carter admitted. "Besides, Kate is planning to be a lawyer like mom."

"God help the world. Your mother's mini me is going to follow in her footsteps." He grinned proudly at the thought of both of his girls being kick ass lawyers. He couldn't wait to tell Liv. "I don't want you to be scared to tell me anything. Maybe scared isn't the right word? But you know what I mean. You can talk to me. About new ideas for the bakery. Or your life in general. I'm your dad. Nothing you say will ever make me love you less, Cart."

"Thanks, dad. I do have a few more ideas." He teased.

"Of course you do. Are you ready to go or what?" Fitz asked. "We need to stop and get coffee on the way."

"Why don't you serve coffee at the bakery?" Carter asked.

Fitz looked at his son and nodded. "Why are you so damn smart?"

"I get it from mom." Carter said on a laugh.

"Smartass. Let's go. We'll talk to Charlotte about the coffee idea. She's the boss around there you know?"

"Everyone knows that Charlotte is the boss. I learned that when I was a kid."

When they reached the hall, Fitz pulled out his wallet and handed Carter a wad of money. "This is your pay for last Saturday. And some extra for your ideas I implemented as well as for running the three accounts for the bakery. Coffee is on you this morning." Knowing Olivia was passed out in their bed from giving him a special morning edition of her goodbye, Fitz led the way downstairs and out the door while Carter followed closely behind.


	52. A Beautiful Friendship

A Beautiful Friendship

Lincoln is 18  
Carter & Kate are 17

"Lincoln. Nathaniel. Thomas. Grant."

The huge outdoor stadium filled with people applauded loudly, shocking Olivia and Fitz and every member of both of their families who were sitting nearby. They clapped proudly right along with the massive gathering of parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, friends, and anyone else who wanted to come witness this milestone in every teenager's life.

Laughter began to bubble up within Olivia until it eventually turned to tears. Happy ones. Proud ones. She watched him walk across the stage made of wood that the school dragged out every year in May for this event. It was covered with some kind of green drape, so it resembled grass. Nothing super fancy. Just something for show and pictures.

The "stage" was elevated a few feet over the heads of the other guests seated in the middle of the football field. The ones wearing navy blue robes and brightly colored tassels and waiting patiently to hear their name called so they could grab that rolled up piece of paper and get the hell out of there. Several plastic blue chairs were lined up at the back of the stage with various faculty members sitting stoically in them.

But Olivia didn't see any of that. Her eyes were riveted to her son, as she continued watching Lincoln walked across the stage, get his diploma from the high school principal, shake his hand, fist pump the air, and get his picture taken with a more serious expression.

Her baby wasn't a baby anymore. He was a high school graduate. She continued clapping proudly for him amidst her tears, and felt large arms pull her close. She didn't have to look to know they belonged to her husband. He always knew when she needed him, and Olivia was thankful for that. She kept her face turned towards the center of the football field but held onto him tightly.

Lincoln had been accepted into his first choice, Columbia University. He had maintained a good GPA without having to study much. It was something that had caused tension between he and Kate as she stayed up all hours to hold onto her number one spot in her class while he spent his time with Anna or his friends. He also had a good head start with a few scholarships he'd earned from writing essays a few months ago. While he hadn't really known what he intended to major in while he was at college, Olivia reminded him that he had plenty of time to figure it out. It was only a two hour drive to the campus, and Olivia reminded herself that that wasn't such a big deal.

When the administrator had given out diplomas to each student in the graduating class, he instructed them to turn their tassels from the right side of thier caps to the left. The students did so in silence. The moment the closing words, "Congratulations class of two thousand eighteen" were spoken, navy blue caps were joyously thrown into the air by every student on the field.

Olivia and Fitz, along with everyone else in attendance stormed the football field in search of their new graduate. It took more than a few minutes for them to find Lincoln, but when they did, Olivia pulled him into her arms, holding on tightly and still crying those happy tears. "I'm so proud of you!" She gushed, wiping her eyes.

"Thanks, mom. I couldn't have done it without you and dad." Lincoln replied, holding her tightly.

Fitz shook his son's hand proudly, both sharing big smiles, and then pulled him close for a hug. "Congratulations, Mr. High school graduate! Love you."

"Thanks, dad. Love you too." Lincoln replied.

"Ohmygod! There you are!" Anna threw herself into his arms with a huge grin on her face. Pulling back, she happily kissed him. Lincoln plucked his cap off his head and put it on hers, keeping his arm around her waist.

"It'll be your turn next year." Lincoln reminded her.

Pictures were taken of Lincoln with his parents. With his parents and his siblings. With all four of his grandparents. With Anna. With Anna and her family. With any number of his friends who stopped by for a friendly hug and cheerful "congratulations" before they disappeared into the crowd looking for their own families.

That had been two and a half months ago.

Olivia only thought she knew what sad was when it came to her kids. She was so very wrong. Of all the times that they had said something or done something, like walking, talking, starting school, going to prom, voices changing, and having "the talk" with Kate; nothing made her feel sadder than when she and Fitz took Lincoln to his college dorm. And left him there. All by himself.

She sat in silence in the passenger seat all the way to the campus and constantly wiped the hot tears that fell from her eyes and slid down her cheeks. Her first baby was leaving home for college. It tore her heart in half to know that she and Fitz would be returning home without him. When she thought about the fact that Carter and Kate would be leaving to go to college a year from now, the pain was almost unbearable.

The five of them had spent the summer together doing any and everything, trying to cram in as much family time before Lincoln left. Olivia figured the memories would carry them all until Thanksgiving, when he would return home for the first time since starting college.

They had gone camping, among other things, which was a disaster! It had been a fun thought. Spending time with each other and nature always looked fun in the movies and television commercials. But the Grants were not those people. Not even close to being those people. They laughed about it when they got home, which wasn't the point of the trip, but it was definitely a memory none of them would forget.

Fitz was not an outdoor guy. He couldn't even pitch a tent. Carter sat on a nearby stump and began reading the set up directions while his father and brother teased him. When the tent looked like a small dilapidated home for retired circus clowns, the older Grant males were left scratching their heads while Carter sprang into action. The large three room tent had gotten pitched quickly and effortlessly by Carter and when he was done, Olivia and Kate went inside to set up bedding.

The five of them had gone swimming, cooked their dinner of hot dogs and smores over a campfire, and changed into their pajamas before calling it a night and crawling into their sleeping bags. It had poured the first night. Shortly after they had gotten settled into their sleeping bags in fact. And that was the moment the family learned that Fitz hadn't waterproofed the tent before they left home.

It started out with everyone complaining to Fitz and blaming him for their wet condition.

"How in the hell should I know that a brand new tent needs anything other than to be pitched when you go camping?" He had argued.

"According to Google..." Carter began with a chuckle.

Olivia had laughed along with her son. "You really should have asked when you bought the tent, babe."

"I couldda told you that, dad. Me and the guys go camping at the lake all the time. Never got rained on once while inside our tent." Lincoln bragged.

"Daaaaaaad!" Kate whined. "My sleeping bag is soaked! Can't we just, like, go stay in a hotel or something?"

"Uh uh! You guys wanted to go camping. Experience nature and all that shit. Well, rain is part of nature so deal with it!" He shot back.

After listening to the kids whining, the cold seeping into her bones, and wishing for the hundredth time for a hot cup of coffee, Olivia turned to her husband and whispered. "If this rain doesn't let up with in the next thirty minutes we are going to a hotel or you're not ever going anywhere wet again."

Knowing his wife wasn't one to threaten, Fitz made a declaration of his own in the sopping enclosure. "Let's give it twenty minutes. If the rain hasn't let up by then we'll go to a hotel."

Fifteen minutes later, the Grant family had thrown the brand new tent in a nearby metal trash can and made their way to a hotel. The five of them had stayed up late, laughing and playing cards until well past midnight. The trip had been a bust, but the memory was a fun one.

Olivia chuckled quietly, shaking her head back and forth at the recollection. How did her kids get so big so fast? They were just celebrating Lincoln's first birthday. Just yesterday he was a duck in his kindergarten class. She sniffed as quietly as she could. He'd always be her duck no matter how big he got.

Fitz reached over and held her hand, giving it a squeeze. "You okay, Liv?"

She nodded silently as she looked out the window. She was hiding the tears.

"Mom. I'm gonna come home all the time. I'll be home so much you won't even be able to miss me. Please don't cry." Lincoln pleaded.

She put on a stupid smile and said in a voice too high with too much forced cheer, "I'm not crying. There's something in my eye. Fitz, you really need to clean this car out more often." She pushed a button on her door and let her window down, closing her eyes. The cool air felt good on her skin. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Are you guys hungry?"

"Anna and I..." Lincoln began. He caught his father shaking his head back and forth in the rearview mirror and added, "were supposed to eat before we left, but we didn't get the chance."

Fitz winked at his son. He knew his wife was miserable and needed a little more Link time. "Where do you two want to go?" He asked his wife and son.

Lincoln sat in the back seat and remained quiet. He wasn't hungry. He had eaten with Anna before he left. The two of them had spent the entire day together. Right up until he got into the car with his parents and drove away. The two of them had been texting each other during the entire car ride. Lincoln planned to hang up his wall calendar in his dorm the minute he was settled in. He and Anna had marked both their calendars for every break he had at college and would return home to visit. Thanksgiving seemed like a lifetime away suddenly.

"It doesn't matter to me. Wherever the two of you want to go." Olivia said quietly. This would be her last meal with her first born until his Thanksgiving break three months from now. She sighed, knowing time would creep by at a snail's pace.

The three of them ate at a fast food place. The only chatter was questions that were lobbed at Lincoln asking if he had remembered this or that when he packed. If he had enough money on him. Things most parents typically ask their offspring numerous times as if they are still children instead of adults heading out into the world on their own for the first time. He patiently answered each and every one of them, knowing he had answered them already.

While Lincoln didn't fully understand what his parents were going through, he knew it was difficult for them and tried to give them some leeway. He'd bet his mom cried all the way home. He glanced at his dad and caught his gaze when he took a sip of his drink. Lincoln cut his eyes towards his mom and then back at his dad. He had another offering if they were interested? It wasn't much, but it would make the wait until November a little more bearable for everyone involved.

"You know the college has this thing every September for families. It's called a taste of home."

Olivia listened to her son but didn't understand. "What's that?"

"It's a contest where the cafeteria staff accepts recipes from the families of freshmen. Only one recipe per family though. They recreate those recipes and choose several winners from different categories. They have one night designated where they serve all of the winning dishes as their dinner meal in every dining hall. The winners are invited to come to the campus as the school's guests and eat dinner with their students. It could be fun?" Lincoln knew his mom would accept any reason to jump on this opportunity. He watched her eyes light up and grinned at his father.

"That does sound like fun. Fitz! We could do that!" she exclaimed excitedly.

Fitz put his arm around his wife in the booth they were sitting in. "Yea, we could kick their asses in the bakery department."

She gave him a look that made it clear that wasn't what she had in mind. "I was thinking momma could make her chicken and dumplings."

"Mmmmm! That's a great idea, mom! We'd definitely win for sure with that one. No one makes chicken and dumplings better than Mimi. God, I want some right now."

"Well, I'm gonna call her when we drop you off and while you're unpacking your room, we'll be at home eating the good stuff." Fitz teased. Olivia and Lincoln stared at him. "What? You two would have done the same to me." he chuckled.

"Remember the day we brought Lincoln home from the hospital? That was what she made for dinner that night." Olivia said with a wistful smile. When her attention was aimed back at her son, the smile faltered, and a sad look covered her face instead.

"Mom." Lincoln pleaded.

"It's okay." She said. "It's a great memory. And it sounds like the decision has been made for us due to the circumstances. We just need to talk her into it now."

"Leave that to me." Lincoln began. "She cried all over me yesterday. I know she'll jump at the chance for a little bit of fame, as well as a visit to my school. When I mention the part about being an honored guest, she'll make it even better somehow. I'll call her tonight or tomorrow and ask her. As long as you're okay with it, dad?"

"It's fine with me. I know my cupcakes are award winning." Fitz said with confidence as he popped a long crispy fry into his mouth.

"And how do you know that?" Olivia teased.

He looked at her and grinned proudly. "Because Duff Goldman gave me an award for it."

"He gave you that award for the Independence Day..."

Fitz leaned toward her and kissed her. "The point is, I got an award from him. That's all that matters, Liv."

Lincoln watched his parents and couldn't help the grin that covered his face. They were weird, but he understood it a little better now that he had been dating Anna for so long. He supposed after four years they were bound to be a little nauseating too? He already missed her immensely and sent her a text.  
 _Are we as annoying as my parents when we are together?_

Her reply was quick.  
 _I hope so. Your parents are completely adorable together. I miss you_

Lincoln grinned and looked up to see his mother wipe ketchup from his father's face before he quickly looked back down at his phone and moved his thumbs at the speed of a seasoned texter.  
 _Don't ever get ketchup on your face LOL We'll be there soon & I'll call you when they leave. It could be tomorrow knowing my mom. I miss you more_

"Okay, It's time to go you two." Lincoln stated. "This place is losing business because of your adorableness with the ketchup."

Fitz and Olivia grinned happily at each other, ignoring their son for a moment. "We are pretty damned adorable, aren't we?" Fitz asked.

"The most adorable." Olivia agreed. "I think he's trying to ditch us, so he can call Anna the second we leave?"

"You've always been the more observant of the two of you, mom. I really want to see my dorm and start unpacking too though. It'd be nice if I got there before my roommate did, so I could pick out which side of the room to get."

"You could get there a week later than him and I could finagle you getting your choice anyway. I'm a great lawyer, but nothing trumps mom powers."

"That'ssssss not necessary. But thanks, mom. I don't need my mother showing up at college and picking fights with my brand new roommate. I'll have my space and he will have his. It'll be fine." The thought of his mother starting trouble on his behalf was enough to make him shudder in embarrassment. She'd do it too, he knew.

They arrived at the college campus and Lincoln knew he looked like a true freshman as he gawked out the window in utter fascination with what he saw. There were buildings and people everywhere. Both were expected as the school sat within the city limits. The campus itself was a nice looking one. There was a huge open lawn where tons of kids were hanging out and talking. Lincoln couldn't wait to become a part of it all.

Fitz pulled up in front of a brick building that his GPS had been directing him to. There it was. Carman Hall. The place his son would be living for the next year of his life. A co ed place. He examined it quietly while they sat at a red light. He counted thirteen floors of windows. Lots of new people to meet for Link. Luckily, his firstborn didn't have a shy bone in his body and meeting new people wouldn't be a problem for him. A horn sounded behind him and at a quick glance up, Fitz noticed the light had changed to green. He followed what he assumed were upper classmen who were outside pointing where parents of freshmen should go to unload their stuff. Nice, Fitz thought.

Parking was a nightmare, but eventually they found one and Fitz happily pulled in. Students and parents milled around outside. Most of them were carrying new bedding still sealed up in clear bags, lamps, laptops, and everything else parents had spent their money on so that Suzie or Johnny would be comfortable in their home away from home for the next year. Fitz knew their car was also loaded with similar items and it gave him some relief. He remembered giving his wife a hard time when she bought what he thought was too much damn stuff. It seemed now that she knew what she was doing all along?

The three of them got a few light items out of the car and headed inside to find out which room Lincoln would be living in. They were greeted by a smiling upper classman who directed them to a desk where Lincoln would get his swipe card that would gain him access to his room.

Once he retrieved the swipe card, the three of them headed towards the elevators with several other families. There was a long line to get onto the elevator and they waited their turn. "Which floor are you on?" Fitz asked.

"Four." Link replied.

"That means taking the stairs isn't an option." Fitz muttered.

"It's good though. The bathroom is on the first floor. So, it won't take you long to get there." Olivia said with a smile.

Lincoln looked at his mother, full of questions. "How do possibly you know that?"

She shrugged. "Carter and I Googled it a while back. We know the layout of this entire building. It's very important to know in case I ever want to come bring you some comfort food in the middle of the night."

"And when you say bring me comfort food, you mean kidnap me, right?" He asked.

"More or less." She answered honestly. Olivia's honesty earned her a chuckle from the parents surrounding them.

"I like the way she thinks." One mother told her daughter as she pointed at Olivia.

"Thank you." Olivia said with a huge smile.

"Jesus." Lincoln breathed. "Dad, you need to get GPS on your wife at all times so something like this doesn't happen!"

"Who says I don't already?" Fitz asked with a smirk. "Besides, it wouldn't do any good. She's gonna do what she's gonna do."

"Thank you, babe." Olivia said, stretching her puckered lips up in his direction.

He pecked her lips amid Lincoln's groaning and politely said, "you're welcome."

After being crammed into the elevator, they made it to his room. The swipe card worked as it should, and the room showed no evidence that anyone had been inside yet. Perfect, Lincoln thought. There were two twin beds, one on each side of the tiny room with a window between them. There were two dressers, two small closets, and two desks. It just came down to right or left. Which was the more sensible choice?

Lincoln turned around and looked at his parents, who were standing behind him. His mother was glancing around the teeny tiny dorm room and appeared on the verge of tears. Maybe a full on mental breakdown? She looked at him and he saw her lip quiver. He immediately cut his eyes to his father and was met with an encouraging smile. "This is gonna be awesome, Link!" He said. That decided his fate. Knowing his dad was a leftie, Lincoln stepped to that side of the room and put down the lamp he was holding onto.

"What made you decide on this side of the room?" Olivia asked.

There was no way in hell he was going to be honest with her about this choice! He'd be dialing 911 within minutes! Either she would beat him or she would pass out. No, thank you! "It just seems more calming to me somehow. It feels...right."

Fitz clapped his hands together loudly. "Okay then. Let's go downstairs and start unloading the car."

It took almost an hour. Between carrying stuff inside, to waiting for their turn to use the elevator to unloading it into his cramped living space. The three of them sighed heavily as the room was now full of Lincoln's stuff. Fitz knew he would be of no use when it came to decorating so he sat down on Lincoln's bed and watched his wife take over. A few minutes later, Lincoln sat down beside him – clearly giving up on trying to explain to his mother where he wanted his belongings.

After a while, Olivia looked over at the motionless males and scowled at them. "Why are the two of you just sitting there? Do something!"

"What do you want us to do, Liv?"

She glanced around the room and decided she didn't want their help with anything she was working on. When her eyes landed on them once again, she gestured wildly with her hands and stammered out, "You can...make the damn bed! No wrinkles though. And tuck in the ends."

Fitz and Link looked at each other and rolled their eyes. They knew how to make a bed. They just chose not to do it. Link grabbed the brand new, still packaged sheets and opened them up. A few minutes later, and both of them were laughing about which direction the fitted sheet went on the rectangular bed.

"Give me that!" Olivia snatched the sheet from her husband's hands and bent to put the sheet on the oblong bed. "You two really don't know how to make a bed? Really?"

Lincoln pressed his lips together to refrain from laughing and went to sit down on his roommate's bed. "Sorry, mom. The scrunchy one is kinda hard." He glanced up at his father and was met with squinted eyes. It made him want to laugh even more.

"That's okay, baby." She looked at Fitz. "Your father should have been more helpful!"

"I was trying to be, Liv." Fitz cut his eyes to his son and watched as he imitated playing a violin. The older male grant scratched his head with his middle finger. "Kids these days don't pay attention to anything though. You know he's just trying to get done so we will leave, right?"

Lincoln dropped his fake violin and gave a horrified expression to his father from behind his mother's back.

"Is that true, Lincoln? Do you just want us to go back home and let you do this yourself?" Olivia added a little extra hurt in her voice. There might just be some truth to her husband's words, but these two fools were not gonna play her without her playing them right back!

Lincoln got to his feet quickly and went to stand in front of her. "No way, mom! I don't know how to do some of this stuff. I need your help." He flicked his eyes to his dad who was standing behind his mom and found him taking his turn at playing the fake violin. He dropped it quickly and acted like he was clapping his hands for his son's performance.

"Okay, but you need to watch me, so you'll know how to do this by yourself." She went in painstaking detail about how to put the fitted sheet on his bed. If she caught him goofing off with his father, she snapped her fingers in his face and got his attention back. She pulled the sheets and blanket off the bed and wadded it up, handing it to him. "Now you do it." It was petty of her, but fun.

Lincoln was pretty sure his mother was playing him with the whole bed making thing. He patiently worked on it just the same. When Lincoln was finishing up, the door opened and in stepped what he assumed was his new roommate. The other male had a buzz cut and a very short beard, was fairly tall - although not quite as tall as Link, and he was wearing a plaid button up shirt and a pair of jeans. Interesting. He straightened from his bed and said, "Hey. You must be Huck?"

"Yup. That's me." The boy said, extending his right hand. "You Lincoln?"

"Yup. You can call me Link it you want?" Lincoln watched Huck look around the room before settling his dark eyes back on his own. "I, uhhhh, took the left side already. I hope that's okay?"

"That's cool, Link. It doesn't matter to me. As long as I have a good spot to set up my computer, the rest is irrelevant." Huck said.

"Cool." Link said, grinning at him. He heard his father clear his throat behind him and Lincoln added, "These are my parents. Fitz and Olivia Grant."

"It's so nice to meet you." Olivia said shaking his hand with a smile.

"Nice to meet you too." Huck replied.

"I'm glad we got to meet you." Fitz said, shaking his hand. "Hey, do you need help carrying your stuff upstairs? We'd be glad to help. Unless your parents are already headed up here with an armful of your things?"

"Nah, it's just me here today. Help would be great. Thanks." Huck replied.

The three of them followed him out the door and Fitz and Olivia rode the elevator in silence as the two boys talked with each other quietly. It turned out that Huck didn't have near as much stuff as Link had brought with him. Olivia made sure he had all the essentials before she would even consider leaving them. He had toiletries, bedding, and the computer he wouldn't let anyone else touch besides himself. Still, she wondered what kind of home life he had where his parents didn't show up to move him in to college? She couldn't wait to talk to Fitz about it in the car.

"I think the two of you are settled in fairly well. We should head for home and let you guys get to know each other." Fitz explained.

Lincoln stood up and hugged his dad goodbye. "Thanks for everything, dad. You suck at playing the violin though." he chuckled.

Fitz pulled away from his son. "I took lessons from you. Eighteen years of 'em. You remember how to make your bed all by yourself, right?" He began laughing loudly as his son gave him the stink eye. "I love you, son. If you need anything, you let us know. I know you're gonna do great." He pulled out his wallet and handed his son a fifty. "Take Huck out to dinner tonight. I think he could use a good friend here and you could be that for him if you try."

Lincoln slid the bill into the front pocket of his jeans. "Thanks, dad. He seems like a nice dude. A little touchy about his computer, but a nice dude. I love you." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Please keep mom from driving here in the middle of the night to stare at my dorm from across the street. Please."

"Where's the fun in that, son?" Fitz replied with a laugh. "Besides, she's gonna do..."

"What she's gonna do." Lincoln finished. "I got it."

"Give me a hug goodbye my big baby." Olivia said, cutting off their talk. It was her turn now.

Lincoln put his arms around his mother. "Mom. I'm not a baby."

"I said big baby. I'm allowed to be sad today if I want to. I'm expecting good things from you, Lincoln." she told him.

"Yes ma'am." He muttered, holding her closer. She really was his biggest cheerleader. So, he'd miss her some. So what? "Thank you for everything. I love you so much, mom."

"I love you too. And you're welcome." She wiped her eyes before she pulled back from him with a smile plastered on her face. "If you need anything, and I do mean anything, you call me or your dad, okay? Promise me."

"I promise. I can't even make a bed by myself. How am I gonna get through the next four years without you?" Maybe that was pouring it on a little too thick?

Her smile grew wider. She pulled out her wallet and handed him some money. "I know that's a lie, but I needed it today. Thank you, son. I love you to the moon and back."

"Mom, dad already..."

"Shhhhh. His probably came with instructions. You can do anything with this that you want. As long as it's legal." She winked at him.

"Love you too, mom." He winked back. Lincoln closed the door behind them and thought he would feel some measurement of relief now that they were finally gone. Instead, he felt a little bit separated. It wasn't really the right word, but it seemed to fit. He was thinking about how weird it was to feel that way when he remembered that he wasn't really alone here.

He watched as Huck finished up setting up his computer monitors, yes he had more than one of them, and turned them on to make sure they were working properly. Apparently, he was satisfied with it and turned it off, pushing his chair back into place in front of the desk. "What do you want to do now?" He asked. "Normally, I'd sit in front of my computer for hours. I'm a pretty quiet guy. I don't mingle with a lot of people. I'm not a partier. I like to keep to myself."

"I'm not really into the party scene either. I like making friends with new people, but I'm not really interested in having them up here all hours of the night. That's what the common area is for. I like my space. I think I'm going to look into majoring in creative writing. What about you?"

Huck turned to his electric set up and gestured to it. "Computers."

"I should have seen that one coming. We could go get something to eat?" Lincoln suggested. He watched Huck's face turn shy. "My treat. My parents left me enough money to feed the entire fourth floor."

"Okay." Huck mumbled. "Next time it's my treat though."

"This could be the start of a beautiful friendship, Huck." Lincoln said with a grin.


	53. Reunited

Reunited

Lincoln is 19

Carter & Kate are 18

Fitz walked through the front door with his arms weighed down with white crinkly grocery bags. He walked as fast as he could through the living room straight to the kitchen table. He almost dropped one of the bags because the handle broke, but he made it just in time and released the handles, causing a loud thud to be heard. He grinned proudly at his wife and gestured to the table. "One trip, babe."

"The table has a million scratches now, but you did it in one trip. That's great, Fitz." Olivia said dryly. She lifted her wine glass to her mouth and took a sip as she eyed him.

His proud grin faded to a type of scowl. "What are you so upset about? I'm the one who had to go to the grocery store and buy all this shit. You got to stay home and drink wine in the peace and quiet."

Her eyebrows went to the ceiling. She emptied her glass, setting it on the counter, and then put a hand on her hip. "I'm sorry. Do you somehow think that I got the easier of the two tasks? I got to stay home and clean this entire house by myself while you got to escape all alone to buy some food. The kids that the party is for, aren't even here to help me! But the toilets are gleaming, the mirrors are spotless, the floors are immaculate, and the living room looks like a showroom at a furniture store. But I got to stay home and drink wine." She rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry. Can I redo the last three minutes? Please?" He asked. He didn't wait for her to answer but went back to their front door and stepped outside. He felt like an idiot, but an unhappy wife is an unhappy home. He walked in the door, all smiles, and began looking around. "WOW! Babe! The house looks amazing! You have been busy while I was gone." He went to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "You are amazing!"

She didn't want to, but Olivia began to grin at him. It was really annoying how he could change her mood like that. Unable to help herself, she put her hands on his shoulders and said, "you are such a dork, but I love you."

"This dork would be lost without you. I'm sorry I was a jerk. Do you forgive me?" He asked.

She closed her eyes and shrugged dramatically. "I mean, I guess I forgive you. I am kinda stuck with you, aren't I?"

"I'd like to be stuck in you." He said suggestively and slid his hands down to her ass.

"Don't ruin the moment, Fitz." She half chastised.

"Yes, ma'am." He could tell she was over her anger. It was time to get something for his trouble. "I need a kiss now please."

Inspired, she came up with a plan quickly. "You'll get a kiss when the kids are home to help me. This graduation party is for them after all. You'd think they'd want a say in everything?"

Fitz pulled his phone from the front pocket of his jeans. He slid his long finger up the screen and then touched a button. Putting it to his ear, he said, "Carter. Whatever you're doing and wherever you are, make it stop and get your ass home. Now!" He held the same index finger up to his wife, indicating that she give him a second, and then resumed touching his phone. "Katie? If you're home in the next five minutes from Anna's, I'll give you a fifty. Yup, really. Bye."

Looking back at his wife with a wide smile, he said, "Ten minutes tops, babe."

"Wow! Someone really wants a kiss? Maybe we should spend the next ten minutes making out on the couch like horny teenagers?"

"Mmmmmm." He put his hands back on her ass and started walking her backwards towards the couch.

They had just sat down when the front door flew open. Kate looked around wildly and was out of breath. "Dad? Daaaaaaaaaaad?" She yelled and ran towards the stairs.

"Jesus. I'm right here. Where's the fire?" He asked in an irritated tone.

Kate came to a sudden halt and turned around to face her parents. "Oh. Hey. Sooooo, about that fifty." She grinned.

"Do I look like a money tree to you?" He asked sarcastically.

"Do I look like a human stopwatch to you? No. But here we are." She held out her hand and watched him stare at it until eventually, an eye roll later, he reached for his wallet. He was about to hand over the bill when she said, "Why did I have to come home anyways?"

Fitz held the fifty just out of her reach. "Because your mother is killing herself to clean this house for the graduation party for you and your brother. You need to help her."

Kate looked around. "Place looks good to me." She snatched the bill from his fingers.

"You're going to help me cook the food." Olivia said with a too polite smile. "And Carter is going to be kept busy by your father. It's your party after all."

"No one mentioned getting paid to come home." Carter said from the doorway. He took a few steps towards his twin sister and glanced at the bill before she quickly tucked it into her pants. He nodded. "Fifty works." He held out his hand.

"You do fifty things and you'll get a fifty." Fitz said blandly.

"Are you telling me that Kate has done fifty things?" He asked.

"Kate is going to do a hundred and fifty things." Olivia said. "You two wanted a graduation party so you two can help get things ready for it."

"What your mother said, kid." Fitz chimed in.

Carter glanced at his watch. "It doesn't start for another five hours. What's the rush?"

"Ohmygod! Only five hours to go?" Olivia asked in a panic. "We've got to move, people! Kate, you and I are in the kitchen. Fitz and Carter, you two check the front yard and make sure there isn't any loose trash in the yard."

"That's what I rushed home for? Loose trash? Really?"

Fitz cuffed him on the back of the head and immediately froze. He was turning into his father! He thought about that for a second and realized it wasn't a completely terrible thing. It felt pretty damned good too! No wonder dad did it all the time? "Do you want us to be murdered in our sleep? Loose trash! Now!"

"Fine! But when we're done, I'm decorating the desserts. That is NOT mom's specialty. That's my area of expertise. Right?" Carter asked as they walked outside.

"Sure, son. You just go in the kitchen and tell her that. I want to see how that goes for you." Fitz said laughing.

"Dude, can you be on my side just once in life?"

"I'm always on your mother's side. No questions asked, kid. But I'll arrange it. When's Link coming home?"

"He and Huck are leaving in an hour or so."

"Good. We'll have male reinforcements."

"At least we aren't in the kitchen making sandwiches like Kate." Carter chuckled.

His dad joined in the laughter as the two of them looked for trash that wasn't there. "How is everything going at the bakery now that you're finally out of school?"

"It's great. I love the freedom to go in and try something new with the food or get inspired by something. I know you're reaping the financial benefits by the truckloads. Speaking of that, where's my paycheck for the week?"

Rolling his eyes, Fitz reached for his wallet again and handed the brat a wad of cash. "There's a fifty in there somewhere. We're even now. In all seriousness, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself at the bakery. You do damned good work, Carter. I'm counting on that to continue so I can retire in the lap of luxury with your mother when I'm older."

Carter grinned at his father. The old man had never mentioned retiring before. Maybe, just maybe, he was one step closer to handing the reins of the bakery over to him? "Thanks for the encouragement, but we're nowhere near close to being even, dad. We've been out here long enough. I'm going in and reporting that we did the job."

The house was spotless. Olivia wouldn't let her family sit down in the living room until the first guests arrived. She kept asking them to pick up things that weren't there to begin with. Plastic on the floor from one of the grocery store bags, crumbs on the counter from the food, a lopsided couch cushion. She was driving them a little insane. Fitz received harried looks from his kids and suggested that his wife go upstairs to take a moment for herself before anyone showed up.

The first to arrive were the four grandparents, and of course, they brought a ton of food with them. Olivia eyed the platters and bowls, filled with God only knew what, and urged them to bring it all into the kitchen. Once their hands were empty, the grandparents went to fill them back up with their grandchildren.

"Are you too old for hugs?" Emma asked Carter before pulling him into her arms, unwillingly if it came to that.

"Not for the best hugger in the state." Carter wisely replied smiling.

"Excuse me?" Lila asked with sarcasm.

Ohhhhh shit. Carter hadn't thought that one all the way through and had to come up with something to quickly get himself out of the doghouse. "Mimi, your hugs squish my bones. I guess I'm still a bit rattled from the last great one I got from you. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Am I forgiven?"

Lila grinned up at the tall handsome fast talking boy. He'd do just fine in this world, she decided. She didn't have to make it easy for him though. "I suppose. See that you get more than one before I leave today though, young man."

"This day wouldn't be complete or as great without that." Carter replied.

"MmmmHmmm. It's a good thing you're heading off to college. You're starting to sound like your smooth talking father when I first met him."

Fitz had been watching their exchange with a huge grin and took that moment to swoop in and cement his place as Lila's favorite son in law. He kissed her cheek and said, "You thought I was a smooth talker back then? That is high praise coming from you, Lila."

"Go away, Fitzgerald. You are not getting any more brownie points from me today." She cackled.

"You heard her. Get the hell out of here, sonny." Thomas said scowling. His face lit up when Kate giggled at her father's expense, reminding him of when her mother used to do it once upon a time. He pulled out his wallet and handed her some money slyly. "Your grandmother probably has a card for you with some sappy words in it. But this is just between you and me. I'm really proud of you for getting through high school. Valedictorian no less. Even prouder of you for getting through all those years with your crazy dad around."

Kate chuckled. "He reminds me of you so much, Pops." She watched him roll his eyes and chuckled again. "It's a compliment. You raised a good man who in turn raised great kids. If you really think about it, you're responsible for how the three of us turned out."

Thomas' sour expression turned to immediate joy. He handed his granddaughter another large bill. "You are going to be a phenomenal lawyer one day, Kate."

"Katherine, you grew up to be the most gorgeous young lady. We are so proud of you." Nathaniel said, sliding into their conversation and giving her a hug.

Kate's eyebrows went up. "I thought mom was the most gorgeous young lady in your eyes, Grandad?"

"So did I?" Olivia jokingly accused from a few feet away.

"No offense, Munchkin." Nathanial told his daughter. To Kate he said, "Your mother will always be my second favorite person in the world. But the three of you are extra special, and you know that, so stop trying to paint me into a corner." He chuckled.

"Don't give Carter and Kate all your best hugs, you two." Lincoln fake complained.

"Lincoln!" Emma exclaimed. She would always have a soft spot for him, even if she never told a soul about it. "You're too thin. Aren't you eating enough at that college you go to?"

Lincoln grinned at his grandmother and held her tighter before pulling away from her arms. "I'm eating plenty. I get better ideas for my writing when I have a full stomach. Don't worry about me, Nana."

"If you ever want us to bring you some good home cooking, the two of us would gladly make a trip into the city with lots of it for both you and Huck." Lila said with a wink.

"I'd never say no to that, Mimi." Link replied and hugged her tightly.

Lincoln started making his way to his mother with a huge grin, an exact replica of his fathers, on his face. He grabbed her into a hug and held on for a long minute. "I missed you mom."

It was so good to have her baby home, even if just for a few hours. Olivia held onto him tightly and whispered, "I missed you too, baby." Realizing she was making a scene without meaning to, she pulled away from him with a huge smile on her face and asked, "Where's Huck?"

"He was on the phone outside. He'll be in in a minute." Lincoln informed her. "DAD! How ya been, old man?"

Fitz hugged his son and said, "I'm not too old to kick your ass. But I'm too happy to have you home to even entertain the thought today. How's it going at school?"

The front door opened, and Huck quietly stepped inside. He saw Lincoln talking to his dad and the twins talking to their grandparents. He smiled at their happiness and before he could understand what was happening, he found himself being hugged. He tensed up for a moment before he realized the arms were tiny ones. It had to be Olivia. He relaxed and hugged her back.

Olivia examined him with motherly eyes. "How's it been going, Huck? Have you been eating enough? Have you been swamped with attention from lots of girls? Do you want me come down there and have a chat with them? Cause I will! You are part of the family now and family takes care of family."

Huck gave an almost imperceptible smile at Olivia's words and stood a little taller, taking the role very seriously. She was little, but she was fierce. "I think that could be dangerous for the girls, Mrs..." He caught her expression and corrected his words. "Olivia. But, since you're parked outside our dorm every ten days, running a few sandwiches upstairs would be appreciated." Everyone who heard his comment laughed loudly.

"Mom just got told!" Lincoln said laughing.

"Up high, Huck!" Carter offered his palm.

"Ohmygod, you're not doing that to me when I go to college." Kate said.

"The nerve of these damned kids, huh?" Fitz said as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind her. It was a good thing she couldn't see his satisfied smirk. Huck was a great addition to their family. He might be Fitz's new favorite?

Thank God the front door opened and spared Olivia from any more embarrassment. Loud female shrieking was heard as Kate ran to the door and happily grabbed whoever it was and began jumping up and down with them.

"Who is that?" Fitz asked Olivia.

"Like I can see any better than you can. Or think straight over that noise!"

Just when Kate and the mystery guest parted, the boys ran to the door and had their turn at happily hugging whomever it was. Finally, Fitz caught part of a face and excitedly whispered one word. "Ladybugs!" He kissed Olivia on the cheek, dropped his arms from her waist, and went to the door. "Who the hell let the three of you grow up and get so beautiful?"

"Uncle Fitz!" They sang together and happily swarmed his neck with hugs.

A shy young man stood just behind the group but kept his eye on Elizabeth. "I'm sorry, I don't think we've met yet?" Fitz said, extending a hand.

"Oh! I'm sorry, uncle Fitz. This is Robert. He's my fiancé." Elizabeth explained and reached for his hand.

She held up her left hand and Fitz grabbed it, examining the ring closely with a shocked expression. And then he turned his squinted eyes on this Robert kid and sized him up. The kid had on jeans and a green polo. He looked nice enough, but Fitz knew there was no such things as anyone being good enough for one of his ladybugs. He caught Elizabeth's eye and she gave him a look that said give him a chance. He begrudgingly said, "Nice to meet you, Robert."

"Nice to meet you too, sir. I've heard all about you, Mr. Grant. You're a lot less intimidating than your brother." Robert said.

Fitz looked over his shoulder and watched his brother fake throwing up after taking a sip of wine. He was so annoying. "He's harmless. Don't let him make you feel bad for marrying his oldest daughter. He'll try to. Do you love her?"

Uncle Fitz!" Elizabeth hissed.

"Of course I do." Robert said. He desperately wanted to win over at least one other Grant.

"Then you stand your ground for her. Don't take any shit from her dad for loving her. That's your job from now on. Loving her. It's a full time gig. Don't screw it up and don't get lazy on the job! If I hear that you do after the two of you are married, I will personally come and deal with you myself. Got it?" Fitz threatened.

Robert gulped. "Got it." He said meekly.

"You do your job right and we won't have a problem. Elizabeth and her sisters were like my own daughters before I had kids, so they are special to me. Take care of my girl!"

Elizabeth smiled at her uncle. He was just the best. She kissed his cheek while Fitz kept his eyes bored into Robert's. "Thank you, uncle Fitz. That will be all." She said with a grin.

"Is there room in there for one more?" A voice asked from the porch. More loud shrieking as the girls saw Ella standing there watching the hug fest with two gift bags in her hand.

"ELLA!"

Fitz stepped back before he was trampled and watched his three kids, his three nieces, and Ella all huddle up with arms around each other like a football team before a game. It warmed his heart that the seven of them always picked right up where they left off from the last time they saw each other. They all giddily chatted with each other in rapid fire words about any and everything. Their way of catching up. The adults watched with grins and wild fascination.

Olivia interrupted to give Ella a hug and asked, "Where are your fathers? I was hoping to see them today."

"They are on a cruise for their anniversary. It's so romantic. They won't be back until Sunday night. I'm sure you'll hear from them soon because they are going to want to do dinner and show off their pictures." Ella giggled.

"You know them so well. You can stay with us until they come home if you want? We have plenty of room. And if you need some girl time, you can go to Anna's house, which is where Kate spends most of her time these days."

"Thanks, aunt Olivia. I think I'll take you up on that. It gets boring being by myself all the time."

"Where's my hug Ella Bella?" Fitz asked with his arms open wide.

"She's not two anymore, Fitz. She probably doesn't want to be called that?" Olivia said.

Ella grinned at both of them. "Nah, it's really okay with me. He's the only one who ever gave me a nickname and I kinda like it."

Fitz stuck his tongue out at his wife and Ella laughed at them. "You don't have a boyfriend do ya? I don't think my heart could take it if all of you got married."

"No boyfriend. That doesn't mean I'm not looking though." She answered with a grin.

"Yea, you need to hang out with Kate for the next ten days. The two of you have a lot in common, girly." Olivia informed her.

After the kids had all given each other individual hugs and began to separate to talk to the adults inside, Thad and Robin made their way into the house with their own gifts in hand. "ROBIN!" Olivia shrieked, mimicking the kids.

Robin laughed loudly, passing the gifts to her husband and met Olivia halfway in a hug. "Why do you always look like you're never going to age past twenty five? It's kinda rude to the rest of us, Liv."

"Why do you insist on having the perfect figure for the rest of your life? It makes all of us want to force feed you sweets to see a glimpse of fat on you." Olivia chuckled.

"Our husbands are lucky men, aren't they?" Robin replied, still smiling. They turned to watch the adult brothers smack each other around and laugh as their father ordered them to stop.

"They really are. How have you been? It's amazing to me that we live in the same city but rarely see each other." Olivia lamented.

"We have a wedding to plan for next year." Robin said.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "I heard Fitz talking to Elizabeth and giving Robert the 'taking care of my girl' speech. When did she get old enough to get married?"

"I know, right? He's a really nice guy though. He had to endure much, much worse from Thad, I'm afraid. As much as I'm not ready for any of my girls to get married, he is in absolute denial over the whole thing." Robin admitted. The two of them went into the living room to talk some more while their husbands and children entertained each other. It was just like old times.

Fitz went to this brother and poked him in the gut. "Hey, fatty. How's it going? I hear you're getting a son soon?"

"Shut the hell up, Fitz! I don't want to talk about it."

"Don't be such a baby. He seems like a nice guy." Fitz glanced back over at the kids. "Is he? Cause if he's not, we can make him disappear in the middle of the night?"

Thad got a gleam in his eye at his brother's words, but then his whole face fell, and he sighed loudly. "Nah. He's a good kid. I just don't want say goodbye to any of my girls."

"Are they moving to Guam or something?" Fitz chuckled.

"You know what I mean, smartass." Why did his brother have to be so damned annoying?

"I get that you don't want her to move out of the house, but she went to college, Thad. You've survived four years of college without her. And they'll come home to visit all the time as long as you don't act like a total jerk to the kid and make him feel unwelcomed."

"How would you like it if Kate told you she was getting married?"

Fitz paled for a moment, and then he remembered how his daughter was with the opposite sex. "Kate isn't getting married for a very, very long time. She's just like her mother. She's going to get her career started before she gives anyone the serious time of day."

"What about Lincoln and Anna? They've been dating forever. You gotta know the two of them are gonna get married sooner or later? They are inseparable." Thad pointed out.

"I'll give you that one. If they aren't married within the next two years, I'll be amazed. But, I'm fine with that. Anna is amazing, and she's been a part of this family since she was born." Fitz said calmly. "And before you even begin with Carter, that boy has his eye on running my bakery. Even if that means pushing my cold dead body out of the way." he chuckled.

"Really? You're going to have one of those and son businesses?"

"Something like that. I've got a plan in mind. Something I've been working on for a while now."

"Tell me all about it. It'll take my mind off the shit Elizabeth's putting me through."

"Jesus. You're such an old woman." Fitz teased.

"MOM!" Thad cheerfully called out. "Fitz just said you're an old woman."

"Fitzgerald Grant!" Emma called out from the living room. "Come here to me now!"

Thad grinned evilly at his brother. "Mom wants you."

"You can't be at a family function without starting shit, can you?" Fitz asked grinning back. In a louder voice, Fitz said, "Hey, dad? Remember that trip we all went on to Disney?"

Thad's eyes went wide and he started furiously shaking his head no.

"Thad was the one who stole your rental keys and was screwing around with the car alarm when it was dark outside."

"Thaddaeus Grant? Where in the hell are you? I owe you an ass beating!" Thomas roared.

"Bye, dipshit." Fitz said with a smile and went to speak to his mother.

"Huck? Come meet the girls." Lincoln said. Huck shuffled shyly into the kitchen and stood amidst the large group. "Huck, this is Elizabeth, Megan, Sophie, and Ella. Ladies, this is Huck. He's my roommate at college."

They all greeted him warmly, some with hugs, some with handshakes, and the eight of them got to know Huck a little better over the next several minutes. He smiled a few times during the highly animated conversation and felt very much at ease with Lincoln's family. "After this party ends, let's all go do something fun together." Megan suggested. "Maybe late night paintball?"

"I could be into that." Huck answered bravely.

"I wanna go too." Anna said as her parents stepped around her and went inside to chat with the adults.

Lincoln broke into the biggest grin any of them had ever seen on his face as he turned his head around and went to catch Anna as she launched herself into his arms. "Snickerdoodle!" He was happy to be with his girl again, and began kissing her, not caring who saw it.

Two heads whipped in their direction and demanded in unison, "What did you just call her?"

Lincoln set Anna on her feet as the two of them eyed each other in confusion before turning their heads towards the adults who had asked the question. "Uhhh, snickerdoodle. Why?"

Abby laughed, popped a mini carrot into her mouth, and said, "This is gonna be good."

"What's wrong with Snickerdoodle?" Lincoln asked. "Carter told me a while back that he had come up with a new recipe for snickerdoodle cupcakes with ginger in them. It just made sense because of Anna's red hair. And it's a super cute nickname."

"Nothing is wrong with it, son." Fitz replied with a lopsided smile. "There's a real good reason why you like the nickname though."

"You're right, Lincoln. It is a super cute nickname. That must be why I used to call you snickerdoodle when you were still in my belly." Olivia said grinning.

"Ohmygod. That is so cute, Link. That was your nickname before you were born." Anna laid her head on his shoulder.

"I don't know if I should be weirded out by that news or proud because I remembered it from so long ago?" Lincoln replied.

Olivia shook her head back and forth. "You are your father's son. He wanted a mini Fitz and boy did he get one." She flicked her eyes at Carter and muttered, "Two really."

"Whad I do?" Carter asked.

"I need wine. Abby!"

"I'm on it." The redhead called with a chuckle. Looking at Lincoln she added, "You know...Snickerdoodle cupcakes were the first thing I bought at The Sweet Spot. I was doing recon on your father for your mother."

"No, she wasn't." Olivia said. "She was stalking my future husband."

"I beg your pardon?" Stephen said.

Fitz chuckled. "She'll tell you all about it when she's older."

"No, she won't. And she won't tell you about the conversation that she, Yvonne, and I had at work that afternoon either. No way. No how." Olivia said firmly.

"I kinda want to hear about that right now." Fitz said.

"Me too." said Stephen.

"If they get to hear it, then so do I." Lincoln chimed in.

"Nobody is hearing anything. Go play." Olivia said, causing laughter from the room.

The party was a huge success. Carter and Kate were loaded down with gifts and cash from their family and friends. All nine kids helped clean up until Olivia turned to them and said, "Thank you for all your help but I know you want to get out of here and go do something together without adult supervision. Go." She made shooing motions with her hands.

"I'm sure you'll be out really late, which is fine. You are all welcome to come back here and crash instead of trying to make it back home. Carter and I will make breakfast in the morning. Right, son?" Fitz said.

"You're on your own, dad." Carter replied. "But I want pancakes."

"Oooooh, pancakes!" Sophie said.

"Fine. I'll make pancakes in the morning. Be careful and have fun. Now get the hell out of here so I can be alone with my woman." He joked.

"He's not even kidding." Kate informed the group.

The large group of kids piled into different cars and went to get ice cream in the city. They had a great time catching up with each other's lives without the distraction of parents. Megan suggested the paintball place that was nearby, and everyone agreed. It sounded like the perfect place to blow off some steam and have fun at the same time.

When it was time to drive to the paintball place from the ice cream parlor, Huck went to Megan's car. "Is it okay if I ride with you?"

"Yea. Of course! Get in. We'll work on our strategy to take them all down one by one." She suggested. She had a feeling he liked her, which was good because she could see herself being into him too.

"Perfect." Huck breathed. He liked Megan. She seemed like she would be a fun girl to hang out with and might be into the same kind of extreme sports he liked but didn't want to seem obvious about it. "But then I'm going to have to take you out of the game, because there can only be one winner in paintball." He couldn't wait to hear her reply. It would tell him a lot about her.

"You wish! After everyone else has been eliminated, I'm going to light you up so fast you'll wonder where I had been hiding. Consider yourself warned." Megan said confidently, as she pulled out of the parking lot.

Huck's heart beat a little faster at her words and his smile grew wider. They'd see who was the last one standing soon enough.

 **Only 1 chapter left in this story, but I am going to write an epilogue after that...**


	54. Ducks For Life

**Ducks For Life**

"I'm so proud of you, Lincoln! That is amazing!"

"Thanks, mom." Lincoln said on the phone with a grin on his face. "It's just The Collection, but it was really cool to see my short story published along with other students."

"You got a copy for us, right? And you know your grandparents are gonna want one. Anna too. Use the credit card and buy ten copies. I'll hand them out to strangers on the street. It'll be fun."

"Mom!" Lincoln chuckled.

"What did you say it was called? I remember what it was about. I couldn't stop reading when you emailed it to me, but I forget the title."

"The World According to Lincoln. Kinda lame, I know, but..."

"It wasn't lame at all. It was a creative writing piece from the mind of a baby. I thought it was cute. Except the parts where you wrote me crying. Especially over a tooth. That didn't seem like me at all." It was totally her and they both knew it.

"It's fiction, mom. I might have taken some creative liberties with your personality traits and embellished them for the sake of the story?"

"You're good, and you certainly have a way with words." Olivia chuckled. "And you are definitely in the right field. I'll take that explanation any day of the week."

He knew now was the time to let his mother know about his summer plans. She was not going to be very happy to hear them. "So, I'm going to take a summer workshop here after graduation. There are a few areas that I need to work on to improve my writing and my professor says that this workshop will help a lot."

"Really? I know as your mother I am biased as hell when it comes to you, but I think your writing is amazing all by itself. And I would be lying if I said I wouldn't miss being able to see you all summer long. But if you think you need to take this workshop to better your craft, then by all means, take it." Olivia was impressed with her self control. There was zero whining in that little speech. She had plenty of reason to whine, but instead she let the decision be Lincolns. Huh? Maybe she was getting better at letting go?

"No guilt trip?" Lincoln asked in disbelief.

"Apparently not." Olivia said, just as surprised as her son was. "I didn't give Kate a guilt trip when she told me she wasn't coming home for the summer either. She has a full schedule as a third year and it's the hardest one to get through. You are worked to death, almost literally. I wasn't expecting to see her this summer to be honest. It's sad, but it is what it is."

"What about Carter?" Lincoln asked. "Is he gonna be home?"

"He is already home for the summer. He walked in the door, took his stuff to his room, hugged me goodbye, and drove straight to the bakery – where I suspect he'll live all summer. Except for one week when the bakery conference your dad is sending him to takes place. It's in Philadelphia this year. Carter is gonna love it."

"Are you gonna be okay without any kids home this summer?"

"I still have your father, and he's my favorite person to love on. Besides, you guys will be here for Christmas. I'll focus on that. It's right around the corner."

"Who are you talking to about me, woman?" Fitz asked as he walked in the door.

"Awww, mom is growing up on us." Lincoln chuckled.

"It's your firstborn. Come say hi." Olivia pecked his lips and passed the phone to her husband, listening to their conversation. She watched Fitz walk around as he spoke to Lincoln and her eyes were drawn to his jean covered ass. She remembered that he had been wearing jeans the very first time she saw him. His ass was still one of his best parts, and she reached down and pinched it.

Fitz yelped, turned around, and was rubbing his sore ass when he found his wife smiling up at him. Lincoln was still talking about something he had seen earlier that day, and while Fitz was interested in his kids, his little woman had his complete attention at the moment. He glanced at the phone and touched the mute button. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Mrs. Grant?"

"Touching what's mine." She said playfully.

"That felt more like a pinch." He challenged.

"That too." She propped her hand on her hip. "What are you gonna do about it?"

"Lincoln calls once every blue moon. I can't just hang up on him, Liv." He unmuted the call and listened but kept his eyes on his wife in case her pinchers got restless again.

"What's new son? Your mother is sexually harassing me instead of filling me in on the latest goings on in your life."

Olivia laughed and kissed his cheek. "I'm going to go get ready for dinner. You're taking me out." She whispered.

"Hang on a sec, Link." He looked at his wife and said, "Fine, but I need a shower first. I'll be up in a minute. Ok, I'm back son. Now, what's going on with you?"

"Mom will tell you all about it later. I'm glad I have you on the phone though. I need to talk to you about something serious." Lincoln said.

"Shoot." Fitz said, sitting down in a kitchen chair.

"Ummm, is mom around?"

Fitz got the feeling that this was something serious. "She went upstairs to get ready for dinner. What's up? Are you okay, son?"

"I'm fine, dad. I wanted you to be the first one I told the news to."

"What news?" Fitz asked.

"Don't freak out please. I'm telling you first because you are the less emotional one, and it's really a father son thing. Mom would just shriek and cry and give me a lecture and I don't have time for all of that."

"What's the news, Link?" Fitz asked, trying to get him back on track.

"I had my first piece published here recently. It wasn't a lot of money, but a decent amount."

"That's fantastic, Link. I'm really proud of you. Why would your mom give you a lecture about that? She'd be over the moon thrilled for you."

"That's not the news, dad."

"Oh."

"I'm taking the money I got for it and buying a ring. I'm gonna ask Anna to marry me."

"Holy shit son! That's amazing!" Fitz was genuinely happy for his boy. He knew Lincoln was proud as hell to be able to buy the ring himself with money he made on his craft. "Listen, can I ask you a question? I'm not judging, just asking okay?"

"Shoot." Lincoln said.

"Females are kinda weird about their engagement rings. If you don't have enough money to buy the ring you think Anna will absolutely adore, I'll give you some to put with it so that you can buy the one she will. It's just an offer." He didn't want his son to worry about the ring when it came to proposing to his soon to be daughter in law. The girl deserved the best and Lincoln deserved to be proud of the ring he offered her.

"Thanks, dad. That's a really cool thing for you to offer. But I've been saving my birthday money, grandparents use-it-for-whatever-you-want money, and some of the money you paid me to help out at the bakery when I came home the last few times. When I lump it all together, it'll be plenty to get Anna a great ring I know she'll love and be proud of."

Fitz grinned into the phone. It sounded like Link had been planning this for quite a while. "That's my boy." he said proudly.

"So, now you know why I can't talk to mom about all of this?"

"Oh, yea! She's going to be ecstatic, but cry too." Fitz chuckled. "You should wait until after you've proposed and make an announcement to both families. That's what your mother and I did. We even cooked dinner for them. It was nice." Fitz smiled at the memory of him and Olivia cooking lasagna for their parents. His smile grew wider as he recalled what the two of them had been doing in the kitchen moments before their parents had arrived.

"That's a cool idea! Thanks, dad. Do you think Stephen will want to kill me for taking his only daughter?" Lincoln was seriously worried about how Anna's dad was going to react. More so than his own mother's reaction.

"Son, the two of you have been dating since junior high. If he is honestly surprised by your announcement, I'll be amazed. The man is an attorney. He's trained to look at the facts and the facts have been staring at him for years. I really wouldn't worry about it. Besides, Grant stick up for Grants. If he starts any shit, I've got your back."

"Good point. And I really don't think it will come to that. But I'll keep the offer in mind. Thanks for being so cool about all of this. Please don't tell mom though. I know the two of you don't keep things from each other, but this is different." Link asked.

"Dude! Where's the trust? I got you. She'll never get it out of me. This secret is locked up tighter than Fort Knox."

"Oooooooh, a secret?" Olivia asked from behind him. "What is it?"

"I gotta go now. Nosey is here."

"Good luck with that dad. Love you."

"Love you too, son. Bye" He ended the call and turned to his wife. "I'm gonna go jump in the shower and we can head out to dinner. Give me five minutes." He started to walk upstairs but Olivia grabbed his arm as he passed her. "What?"

"You know damned well what?"

"No, I don't."

"You and my son have a secret. I want to know what it is."

"It's not mine to tell, Liv. The boy made me promise not to say anything. I'm sorry." He leaned down to kiss her cheek, but she turned away.

"No."

"No?"

"No, I don't understand. But I want to, so tell me the secret and we'll both understand." she bargained.

"Lincoln made me promise not to tell you."

Olivia's eyebrows went up. "You and I have been married for a whole hell of a lot longer than you have been his father. Besides, we don't keep secrets from each other. Tell me."

Fitz grinned down at his wife. Why was she so damned adorable when she was trying make a point? Lincoln had to know he was going to tell her? "Okay, but you gotta act surprised when he tells you!"

"I promise!" She said excitedly.

"Link is gonna propose to Anna."

"OHMYGOD!" She said as she covered her mouth with her hands. And then the tears came. Her baby was going to propose to the perfect girl with the...Olivia grabbed the front of her husband's shirt. "What about a ring? He's gotta have a ring, babe! A really nice one. Anna deserves a great ring. Ohmygod, we're getting a daughter in law. Our very first one. Fitz!"

She was ugly crying now. Fitz chuckled and brought her close to his chest. "Babe? You need to breathe okay?" He waited until she wore herself out and her tears subsided. He put his index finger under her chin and brought her gaze up to his. He wiped her tears away with a smile and gently kissed her lips. "Feel better now?"

Olivia nodded and sniffed.

"Lincoln already has a ring picked out. He's using the money he got paid for writing his short story as well as money he's gotten here and there. He's proud of it and is confident that Anna will love it too. That's all that matters. Our son is getting married, Liv. We should celebrate with sex." It made her laugh and that was his goal.

The following weekend, to everyone's surprise except for Fitz's, Lincoln came home from college for a short surprise visit. He informed his parents that he would like to invite Abby and Stephen over and cook dinner for everyone.

Fitz gave him a wink and a nod.

Olivia acted surprised and barely contained her grin. As far as she knew, her son only knew how to make a bowl of cereal. "What are you going to cook? Do you need me to go to the grocery store to get anything? You need any help at all?" she offered.

Lincoln knew she was trying to figure out what the hell he was up to without asking. He had learned a lot from living with her the past eighteen years. "Thanks, mom. I know how much you hate to go to the grocery store. It's okay."

"I don't mind. If you'll write me a list, I'd be happy to grab whatever you need." She was determined to act like she didn't know what was happening.

"Really? Are you sure?" He had her right where he wanted her.

Olivia nodded enthusiastically. "Yea, it's no big deal at all. Your dad will even go with me."

This was news to Fitz. But he had been paying attention to their little game. "Sure. Why not? When was the last time we made out in the grocery store?"

"The last time was the only time and my mother busted us. Remember that?" Olivia asked on a laugh.

He grinned at her and squeezed her hand gently. "I do remember that. Okay, Link. Make us a list and we'll go pick up whatever you want."

"Can I ask the two of you for a favor while you're out?" Lincoln asked.

"What?" Fitz asked with a look.

"I have some dry cleaning that is super important for tonight. Would you mind picking it up for me please?" Lincoln asked with a sweet face.

"The dry cleaners are all the way in the city! We'll be gone forever!" Fitz whined. He took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. "Anything else, your majesty?" Fitz asked with an eyeroll. This kid was pushing his luck here.

"Actually, there is."

"Lincoln Nathaniel!" Fitz warned.

"What?" He asked innocently. "I was just gonna say I really need the two of you back here by four please. We're on a schedule, so to speak."

"It's not going to take us six hours to get a trip to the grocery store and dry cleaners done. We'll be back in plenty of time."

"Then I guess you'd better get going? That'll be all, peasants." Lincoln replied on a laugh.

"Damn brat." Fitz muttered as he grabbed his car keys and his wife's hand and walked out the door.

Once they were settled in the car and halfway up the road, Fitz turned to his wife in the passenger seat and said, "can you believe the audacity of that kid? Having us go pick up his dry cleaning? I was waiting for him to give me a little black chauffer hat."

Olivia giggled. "It's for the greater good, babe. He's got a big announcement to make later and he needs his mind clear of these little details. Just go with it. Besides, I have very fond memories of the dry cleaners."

Fitz smiled at her and brought her hand to his lips kissing it. "You're right. If it wasn't for the dry cleaners, Lincoln wouldn't even have been born. Maybe later we can go down memory lane and have our own little celebration?"

"I like the sound of that." She said smiling back.

At the grocery store, the two of them walked up and down every aisle picking up items that were on the list. It was a weird list, but they promised to go by it, since it was Lincoln's idea, and got everything that was written down in the amounts he requested.

They ran into Cyrus and James while checking out and the four of them struck up a conversation that lasted longer than the visit to the store itself. Knowing they had plenty of time before they were needed back at the house, the four of them moved their conversation to the Starbucks next door. They chatted about everything and filled their friends in on the news of Lincoln's proposal as they sipped their drink of choice.

"Oh god! He can't be old enough to get married! That would mean that Ella is old enough to get married and NO WAY is she old enough to get married. Right, Cy?" James fretted.

Cyrus rolled his eyes and patted James hand. "Ella is not getting married any time soon, dear. She can't stay with one boy long enough to marry one." He pointed at his husband and said, "She gets that from him."

"She's very busy with college right now anyways. She's got a hundred years of medical school to get through before she'll even have time to settle down. Or breathe." James said in a defensive voice.

Fitz and Olivia shared a smile. "She is exactly like Kate. Boys are for flirting with right now. Not settling down with. And I'm fine with that!"

"Let's stop talking about our daughters getting married." Fitz suggested. "When are the two of you going on another cruise?"

"It's going to be a while. Although, I've been nagging him to take some time off, so we can go...somewhere! Today's trip to the grocery store was a huge step!" James joked. "What about the two of you? Have you ever thought about going on a cruise?"

"That would be so much fun. But we are going to be saving up for a wedding now. One day we'll go. Right, Fitz?"

He leaned over and kissed her. "Whatever you want. After the wedding."

Cyrus glanced at his watch. "I hate to break up this happy little reunion, but we've got to get going. Busy day of running errands for us."

"We've got to get going too. Lincoln asked us to go into the city and run an errand for him. I swear that kid is using us because he knows how excited we'll be when he makes his announcement." Fitz said. "You ready, Liv?"

"Yup. Let's go."

"Don't get handsy in the dry cleaners you two." James said with a grin. "We'll see you soon." The four of them said goodbye and went in different directions.

Fitz lucked out and found a parking space right in front of the dry cleaners. Putting the car in park, He looked over at his wife and said, "let's have some fun in there."

Her grin knew no bounds. "Whad ya have in mind?"

"Come in a minute after me and see if you can follow my lead?"

"Give me a kiss first. And make it a good one."

Fitz took off his seatbelt and leaned over into her personal space. He palmed her cheek and whispered, "I love you so much" before he touched his lips to hers in a soft kiss that quickly turned sensual right there in the car for all to see.

Someone tapped on the window and said, "get a room!" before walking away, causing the two of them to break the kiss and dissolve into laughter.

Fitz opened his car door and winked at his wife. "One minute."

Fitz grabbed a red ticket and took his place in the line he knew would be there. It was a Saturday, after all. He spoke to the man in line ahead of him. "Nice day, huh?"

The man looked over his shoulder at the weather outside. "It really is. Beautiful even." He saw a gorgeous woman on the other side of the door, about to open it when he whispered, "holy shit."

Fitz had seen that look on men's faces before when they noticed his wife. He didn't even have to look over his shoulder to know she was standing outside. "You okay?" Fitz asked.

"Yea. Check out that woman though. She is gorgeous." He nodded his head towards the door.

Fitz flicked a glance in the intended direction. Keep your eyes in your head, buddy. She's all mine, Fitz thought to himself. "Meh. She's like a five. Maybe a six."

"Are you high or somethin'?" The stranger asked. "She's a solid ten. Maybe eleven. I'll bet she thinks you're a low number on her scale too?"

Fitz eyed his wife's perfect little form. She was working those jeans. He couldn't wait to get her out of them later on. He shrugged. "I don't care what she thinks of me. I can get a girl like her any day of the week."

"Sheeeeeeet. I bet you can't. I'll bet you twenty bucks she won't even speak to you."

"Really?" He looked back at her as she walked in and completely ignored him as she walked past and got a ticket. Shake that ass, babe he thought. Meeting the stranger's eyes, he stuck out his hand and said, "Okay. I don't have anything else to do while I wait in line. You're on."

Olivia sauntered to the back of the line, behind her husband. With her sunglasses on, she admired her husband's ass. He really did have a spectacular one. Her eyes traveled up to the back of his neck to his hair. Damn those wild curls she loved yanking on. She remembered being attracted to his hair in this same spot a long time ago. Some things never change, she thought. She was going to pull on them later on tonight when she got him to...

"Nice day outside, isn't it?"

A voice interrupted her perfectly good daydream. She sighed and slid her sunglasses on top of her head. The man in front of Fitz was talking to her. She had no idea what he had just said because she had been lost in her thoughts. "Excuse me?"

He smiled. "I said, nice day outside, isn't it?"

"Oh. Yes, it is. Very nice." Why not be polite? "Are you having a good day?"

"I am, thank you. How about you?"

Olivia noticed that Fitz hadn't turned around yet. Hadn't spoken a word to her. She wondered what he was up to? She ignored him right back. "Can't complain. It's a beautiful day."

"With beautiful company." he added.

Jesus. Olivia barely suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. Thank god she was married and didn't have to deal with men like this anymore. He was being nice though. Maybe that's all it was? Giving him the benefit of the doubt, Olivia asked, "what do you do for work? If I may ask?"

"Well, I'm not a super spy, so I think it's safe to tell you." He chuckled. "I own a barber shop across town."

"That's interesting. I'll bet you hear a lot of great stories in a typical day at work?"

"Ohhh yea. I've heard lots of interesting things over the past twenty years there. What is it you do for a living?"

"I'm a lawyer."

Fitz scoffed, but never turned around.

"I apologize on his behalf, Miss. You were saying?"

"Don't apologize for him. Some people have no decency whatsoever. He probably hates lawyers because someone sued him and got his personality?"

"You're funny. Why don't you come up here and stand with me in line while we wait?"

She stepped around Fitz, glaring at him as she moved, and told the stranger, "thank you."

"You're welcome. How long have you been a lawyer? You don't look old enough to even be out of law school."

"You're very sweet. Thank you. But it's been a very long time. How old do I look to you?"

The stranger chuckled nervously. "I'm not playing that game. You don't mess with a woman and her age. One wrong number can cause your death."

"Sixty-nine." Fitz said straight faced.

Olivia glared at him again and threw her middle finger up in his face.

"You know, they say you can tell a woman's age by the way she kisses a man." Fitz said mildly.

Olivia crinkled her face at her husband. This was kinda fun. She wondered what the two of them had been talking about before she came inside?

The stranger said, "I think this one is just trying to get a kiss from a pretty girl?"

Feeling sneaky, Olivia replied to him, "what if I whisper to you my actual age and then kiss this weirdo and see if he can guess correctly?"

"Do you really want to put your mouth on his though? He's a stranger."

Olivia looked at her husband. God, she wanted him right now. This game was making it worse. She knew he saw the need in her eyes that had to be obvious to the world. She watched him lick his lips and almost came undone. Fitz knew that little action was her weakness. As she stared at his lips she said, "He is. But you were too a few minutes ago until I got to know you a little better. Besides, it's just a kiss. It's harmless."

"If that's what you want to do? Whisper your age to me real quiet so he can't hear it."

Fitz kept an eagle eye on this guy. If he so much as touched his wife with his pinky, Fitz was gonna break it off. He was worked up more than he thought he would be, and he could tell that Olivia was too. She cupped the stranger's ear and leaned close whispering the number he already knew. He watched her come stand in front of him. He was going to have to have her soon. There was no getting around it. "You ready for the magic, my Queen?"

Olivia couldn't contain the grin that spread across her face hearing Fitz call her the nickname he had given her when she was pregnant with Carter and Kate. "Let's see what you got."

Fitz pulled her roughly against his body and put one hand at the back of her head and the other one on her waist. He attached his lips to hers in a hungry passionate kiss. He felt his wife pour herself into the kiss as their tongues touched in a familiar age old dance. Towards the end of the kiss, Fitz dipped her, keeping their mouths attached to each other.

The stranger stared open mouthed at the pair of them in complete shock.

The bell over the door jingled and a voice said, "Do the two of you still stay attached to each other twenty four seven?"

Olivia was in a daze, but Fitz pulled away from her lips and quickly turned his head towards the door. "Holy shit! Look who it is, Liv!" Fitz said grinning like a fool.

"You two know each other?" The stranger asked.

"Ohmygod! Charles! Is that you?" Olivia screeched. She wiggled out of Fitz's arms and made her way to the door, grabbing him in a hug.

Fitz looked at the stranger he had placed the bet with, jerking his head towards Olivia. "Sorry to have had some fun at your expense. She's actually my wife and we met here almost twenty five years ago." He reached out a hand to shake the one the stranger stuck out.

"You're a lucky man." The stranger said, grinning back.

"And I know it. Thank you."

"Don't be fooled by these two. They are a couple of exhibitionists." Charles laughed as he hugged Olivia. "I see the two of you are still causing trouble."

"We like to keep it fun." Fitz said, making his way over and shaking Charles' hand. "How have you been?"

"Been doing fine. How about you and your family?"

"Funny enough, that's why we're here. Lincoln is engaged and is having a get together tonight to announce it to us. I'm not supposed to know about it though." Olivia gushed.

"But you blabbed because you can't keep a secret. Is that it?" Charles accused Fitz.

Fitz grinned. "Something like that. You should come by tonight and bring Angie so we'll have someone pretty to look at."

"I might take you up on that. It's been quite a long time since I have seen the kids. I bet they are taller than their momma now."

"They've been taller than me for quite a while now." Olivia admitted. "Please come by the house. The kids would love to see you again and we'd love to be able to catch up with the two of you too."

"I think it can be arranged. What time should we swing by?" Charles asked.

"Dinner should be over by seven. We'll have coffee and dessert."

"Sounds good. We'll see you two tonight. Keep your clothes on this time please." Charles teased. Fitz's number was called out and he and Olivia said their goodbyes and picked up the dry cleaning and headed for home.

"Home. With an hour to spare." Olivia lifted her open palm to her husband and he hit it with his own. "Let's get this food put up and help the boy get things going for a perfect night."

"Is it just me or did he pick weird foods?" Fitz asked. "Who the hell is he planning to feed, just him and Anna?"

"Who knows? We'll help him make the best of it though."

The two of them walked up the few steps to the front door, both carrying several bags in their hands. With Olivia in front of him, Fitz opened the door and followed her inside. They were greeted by a very loud, very cheerful shout of "SURPRISE!"

"What...the hell?" Fitz said.

Their house was filled with people they knew and loved. Olivia saw both sets of their parents, Cyrus and James, practically everyone from the firm and the bakery, Charlie and Quinn, Yvonne and Rob, Abby and Stephen, Thad and Robin and the girls, Huck, even Rob showed up. And somehow Charles had beaten them there? Their living room was decorated tastefully with lots of silver and white. Streamers and balloons and flowers were everywhere. And everyone inside was dressed up. "What the hell is going on?" Olivia asked.

Lincoln, Carter, and Kate made their way to their parents with big smiles. "Here's the deal. I know dad can't keep a secret from you at all. Instead of this being an engagement announcement, the three of us are throwing you an early anniversary party slash renewal of your vows ceremony." Lincoln gestured to the silent crowd. "They have offered to serve as witnesses. Us too."

"What?" Olivia whispered. "You and Anna aren't engaged?"

"Of course we're engaged." Link said with a grin. "But we'll celebrate that another day. This day is about you guys."

"Well, where is she?" Olivia began searching the crowd until her eyes fell on Anna. She motioned her to come join the five of them. When she stood beside Lincoln, Olivia held her arms out, smiling, and said, "hello, future daughter in law."

"Hello, future mother in law." The two of them hugged tightly and both cried happy tears.

"Can I see your ring?" Olivia sniffed. Anna held out her left hand and Olivia smiled through more tears. "It's absolutely beautiful. He did good."

"He did great!" Anna said with proud grin and an arm around her new fiancé.

"What made you decide to do this today?" Fitz asked, still confused as hell.

"Because today is exactly six months from your twenty fifth anniversary, but you won't be here to celebrate with us." Carter said grinning. They had surprised them so perfectly.

"Of course we will. We have no plans."

"Oh, but you do." Kate informed them, handing her mother a small packet. "The two of you are going on a cruise for your anniversary. You leave three days after Christmas and will be gone for a week. Today is for renewing your vows in front of family and friends while it's not as crazy with the holidays. Or as cold."

Tears ran down Olivia's face. She was in awe of her kids. They never ceased to amaze her. She pulled them close and she and Fitz hugged them tightly. "Thank you so much. This means the world to us. You three mean the world to us."

"We wanted to do something special for the two of you because you deserve it. You are amazing parents and are always there for us no matter what. We love you guys." Carter said.

"Besides, you're still crazy about each other. And even though that has caused some embarrassment for the three of us from time to time in our younger more impressionable years, we've never seen two people more in love as both of you." Lincoln said.

"Whaddya say? You guys wanna do this?" Kate asked.

Fitz pulled his kids in for another group hug between the five of them. He felt tears falling down his cheeks. His kids were amazing. "Wait! You sent us on a wild goose chase all day long so you could set this up? I picked up your dry cleaning!" He said with fake annoyance.

"Actually, you didn't. You picked up your best suit. We can't have our favorite groom wearing jeans and a bakery polo." Carter said with a smile.

"What is your mother going to wear though?" He asked.

"Relax, dad. Do you really think we'd let our perfect mother marry you and not take care of her? We've got this." Lincoln informed him.

"Dude, she hasn't even said yes yet." Carter reminded him.

Fitz grinned at his smartass son. He was right. Olivia hadn't agreed to it yet. She would, but he wanted to hear the words. "What do you think, Liv? Will you marry me all over again?"

Olivia looked into the brilliant blue eyes of her favorite person. Even after all this time, there were no doubts. No wondering what life would have been like if she had chosen someone else. It had always been Fitz for her since the day she met him. The first twenty five years had been nothing short of magical. She couldn't wait to get started on the next twenty five years. "In a heartbeat."

He grinned at his wife and leaned down, kissing her in front of their house full of guests as they clapped.

"There's time for that later!" Kate chided them. "Dad, you need to go to get ready in Lincoln's room. I'm going to take mom into you guys' room to help her get ready."

Fitz and Olivia held hands as they walked up the stairs. When they got to the top, Fitz whined, "We don't want to separate though! I've already seen her naked anyways. At least twice."

"Jesus, dad. You two are still so embarrassing." Lincoln said rolling his eyes and shutting the door behind them.

Olivia followed Kate and Anna into her own bedroom, highly curious as to what they had chosen for her to wear for this special occasion. She didn't have to wonder very long. A white garment bag hung from the top of her closet door. Whatever was inside was safely nestled behind the long plastic zipper. She eyed it, desperate to know what was hanging there for her to wear in front of family and friends.

Kate and Anna caught her eye and smiled at each other. "Okay, look mom. I did something. Something that you might get mad at me for doing. Something that I probably should have asked you about first, but it was part of this surprise. If you get mad, get mad at me, okay?"

"I'm sure it's fine, Kate. What's going on?" Olivia asked.

"I found your wedding dress hanging in the closet." Kate nervously began. She started twisting her fingers together. This was the only part of the day that she was scared about.

"Okay. It's twenty five years old. What did you do, set it on fire?" Olivia joked.

"I wouldn't do that, mom. I don't know how to tell you..."

"Just show it to her, Kate. She's going to love it." Anna encouraged. "You made the right decision. Stop torturing yourself."

Olivia looked at her daughter. "Anna's right. Just show me. Whatever it is, it'll be fine. I promise."

Kate swallowed hard and retrieved the handing garment bag. She carefully carried it to her parent's bed and laid it down flat on top of the comforter. Kate pulled the zipper all the way to the end and pulled out the white dress, holding it up for her mother to see.

Olivia eyed the dress her daughter was holding up. It looked kind of like her wedding dress, but different too. The lace cap sleeves were gone. Thin spaghetti straps had taken their place. The scalloped hemline was still there, but instead of being flowy at the bottom of the dress, it was more fitted. It appeared that someone had hemmed a good foot off the bottom of the dress. "Wow."

"Is that a good or a bad wow, mom?" Kate asked.

"A good one. It's gorgeous."

"Really?"

"Really." Olivia said smiling. "I knocked your father's socks off when I wore this dress the first time. Looks like we're going to have a repeat performance the second time around too." She opened her arms and gathered her daughter into her arms, holding tightly. "You are a very thoughtful girl and I'm very lucky to have you as my daughter."

"You're not mad that I had your wedding dress altered? Well, changed entirely?"

"Of course, I'm not mad. It's not like I could wear my wedding dress anywhere ever again. You just made it into something new. And sexy." Olivia looked lovingly at the dress. "My only worry is getting into this thing. It's been twenty five years, Kate."

"Mom, you're as thin as a pencil. This dress is going on you without a problem."

"Yea, but I've had three babies. Babies have a way of making your ass ginormous and leaving it that way."

"Dad still thinks you have a terrific ass." Kate giggled. "He's constantly touching it."

"Hush, you! Give me the dress and I'll go try it on." Olivia said. "This is a really nice surprise. You're amazing." She went into the bathroom and stripped excitedly, remembering to leave her bottom half bare as she had when she married Fitz the first time around. She sucked in a breath after she stepped into the dress and began pulling it up over her ass. Somehow...it fit! Like a tight fitting glove, but it fit! "Holy shit!" She squealed.

"It fits, doesn't it?" Kate called out from the other side of the door.

Olivia opened the door and stepped out.

"Ohmygod! That looks stunning on you! Like it was custom made for you! This is so great!"

"You look so beautiful, Olivia." Anna breathed. She was getting thoughts about her own wedding dress as she stared at her future mother in law.

"Thank you both. This is just...oh! Wait! What is this? Kate!" she giggled.

"Oh yea, I almost forgot about the slit I asked to be cut in it." Olivia stuck out her smooth cocoa leg with a grin. "Very sexy, mom."

"Your father is going to lose his mind." She clapped excitedly.

"I was in charge of the flowers, and I got you a pretty basic bouquet." Anna began. "But it's the thought that counts, right? I'm not very good at this stuff. No one will be looking at the flowers anyways. You don't even have to carry them It's just for.."

Olivia smiled at her soon to be second daughter. "Stop. The flowers are perfect. Thank you for being part of this day. Once you and Lincoln pick your wedding day, we will be kept very busy planning it exactly how you want it. The cake, the flowers, the dresses. It'll be so much fun to help you for your big day. Wait! We have cake, right?"

Kate smiled at her mom. "Really? Carter insisted on that being his part to do. It's beautiful. He really outdid himself."

A knock on the door sounded. "Who is it?" Anna called out.

Abby and Yvonne barged in and her eyes flew open wide at the sight of their friend in that dress. "Is that...?" Yvonne asked.

"Yup." Olivia said with a grin. "My girls did a fabulous job."

Abby squinted at her best friend. "Don't be calling my daughter your girl, Liv."

"Why not? It's not like you wouldn't claim Lincoln on your taxes as your son if I let you."

"Shut up and have a drink." she giggled pouring three glasses. "Fitz looks good, but you look amazing."

"You guys saw Fitz? Of course you saw Fitz. The two of you are like his personal little fan club."

Yvonne looked at Abby and said on a sigh, "haters."

"I'm going to touch up my make up and then I believe I'm ready to go get my man. Again."

"Do you guys need condoms for the wedding night?" Yvonne asked with a smirk.

"Yvonne!"

"Ewww! Aunt Yvonne! No!" Kate said mortified. The three adult women burst into laughter. "I'm going to go take my place. I can't hear any more of this." Kate said. "Let's go, Anna."

Fifteen minutes later, another knock sounded on the door. "This place has turned into Grand Central Station!" Abby huffed. She pulled the door open and said, "What do you want?" There was some mumbling and then Abby said, "Liv? We're going to sit down. It's time to start. Your escort is here."

Olivia was pushing an earring through her ear as she walked into the bedroom saying, "daddy, are you..." The words died on her mouth and a grin split her face. "You're not who I was expecting. But this is a nice surprise." Lincoln and Carter stood in the middle of her bedroom all dressed up in navy blue suits and big smiles.

"Grandad said he'd done the job once and that was all he was required to do." Lincoln explained to his mother.

"He said now it was our job to take care of you from now on" Carter added. "because his no good son in law..."

Olivia raised her eyebrows at her son.

"Okay, I might have made that last part up?" he chuckled. "but he did say the rest."

"Two escorts. And handsome ones at that! How lucky am I?" She picked up her flowers and looped an arm through each of her sons and the three of them headed for the door. "Is your father already downstairs?"

"Of course he is. He got dressed in five minutes, fixed his hair, brushed his teeth, and ran down to the living room. He's been talking to everybody for almost an hour." Lincoln informed him.

Just before they got to the top of the stairs, Olivia took a moment to smooth down her dress and pat her hair. "Do I look okay?"

Carter kissed her cheek. "You look great, mom. Dad definitely got the better end of the deal."

"You get compliments from the writer in the family, not the baker." Lincoln grumbled, shaking his head.

"That wedding cake you made this week was really awesome, dipshit." Carter said with a smirk. "I'm sure mom will be remembering your perfect words while she eats it."

Lincoln flipped his brother off behind their mother's back. He smiled at her and kissed her cheek. "You look regally elegant, mom. You are a beautiful person inside and out and everyone who knows you or meets you sees it. It's part of the reason why dad married you in the first place."

"Yea. What Edgar Allen Poe just said. You already got the old man. There's no reason to be nervous now." Carter added.

"Don't make me cry, you guys." Olivia whispered. "You're being a little too perfect right now."

"Carter likes a girl." Lincoln announced with a wicked grin. "Her name is Savaaaaaannah."

Olivia's head snapped to her youngest son. "Whaa..?"

Carter's eyes went wide before he shoved his brother. "I will kick your ass when this is over, Link!"

"Now we're even for the Julie thing. And I would love to see you try." Lincoln said with a chuckle.

"Oooooookay! Let's go, gentlemen." Olivia said, looping her arms through theirs once again.

The three of them turned the corner and began making their way down the stairs. Thad had the wedding march playing on his phone and held it up with a proud grin as the guests chuckled lightly. Everyone in attendance smiled at her and Olivia smiled back. She was anxiously waiting until she got closer to the bottom of the stairs, so she could see Fitz. Funny how the nerves were still there the second time around?

Fitz saw his wife and his eyes quickly scanned her from head to toe. He wasn't surprised that she looked perfectly radiant. Just like the first time he married her. Her dress was gorgeous, perfectly highlighting every curve that he knew better than the back of his hand. After almost twenty five years together, she didn't look exactly like she did the day he met her. Somehow, after birthing three kids she was still a tiny thing, but her curves were a little bit curvier, which he loved. Her smile still lit up a room every time she walked into one. And she was still his best friend and the only person Fitz wanted to do life with.

She was smiling at someone in their house, but the moment her eyes met his, that familiar spark flew between them. Fitz looked so handsome in his navy blue suit. It was her favorite suit he owned, and while she knew he hated wearing one, she also knew he wouldn't complain about it today. She couldn't wait until her studly groom could kiss her. Her smile grew even wider, her steps became a little quicker, and she couldn't wait to get to where he stood.

When Olivia reached the spot where Fitz and Kate stood, she took his hands, and he kissed them sweetly. "You look stunning, Liv. God, I married well." That brought a chuckle from most of the guests.

The boys let go of their mother's arm and stood behind their dad. "Please be seated, everyone." Rob said, as he stood between the happy couple. Olivia did a shocked double take at him. He too was wearing a blue suit and smiling politely at the crowd, who had just sat down.

"What are you doing up here?" She whispered to him.

"I'm doing your service." He whispered back on a chuckle.

"Is it going to be legal?" She asked with a grin.

"I'm an ordained minister, for your information." He told her.

"NO WAY!" Olivia said a little too loudly.

"Yes way." He said. "Now be quiet so I can marry you two."

"Fine. But we're gonna talk about this later on."

"I figured as much."

The renewal service was beautiful, and everyone clapped loudly when Fitz was finally told to kiss the bride. He looked at his wife and with a huge grin, said, "Are you ready for the magic, my Queen?"

Grinning right back, she replied, "let's see what you got" and put her arms around his neck. Fitz dipped her as he had done earlier that day at the spot where they had met, and the cheering became deafening. Lincoln and Carter clapped their father on the back and Kate handed her mother back her flowers and refused to cry.

The happy couple held hands and wore huge grins as everyone took photos with the phones. Olivia loved the amazing creation that Carter had decorated, especially the two yellow ducks that sat side by side on top of it. "We figured if we're ducks, then you two had to be ducks too." Carter explained. Fitz and Olivia cut the beautiful cake, feeding each other without incident. They sipped wine out of goblets. They happily chatted with their friends and family members, taking countless selfies with just about everyone in attendance.

It was late, and things were winding down. Fitz put his arm around his wife, before stealing a kiss from her and picking up a goblet, clanging against the side of it with a knife. "Olivia and I want to say a few things before we head off to our bedroom to begin the honeymoon and all of you people get the hell out of here. First of all, we want to thank all of you for coming here today to celebrate Liv and me. You're all very important to us and our kids and we couldn't have had better people to surround ourselves with. You all are the absolute best and we love you all dearly.

To our three perfectly amazing, selfless, big hearted kids. You guys never cease to amaze us. Your mother and I will never forget this day and how special it was, and how all of you were the ones to make it happen. You three are the best thing that ever happened to us. Our lives were damned near perfect before we had kids. At least we thought it was. But one by one, the three of you added so much more to our lives than we could have ever imagined. Lincoln, Carter, and Katherine, we are so proud of the people you have become. We love you so much."

"Awwww, group hug." Kate sang.

The five of them met in the middle of the room and they hugged each other one by one before coming together in a group hug. Fitz mumbled something to his family that only they could hear. "I'm not doing that", "Daaaaaad", and "ohmygod, really?" could be heard as the party guests looked on with confused smiles.

Suddenly they all put their hands in the center and Fitz's deep baritone voice loudly yelled, "ONE, TWO, THREE..."

"DUCKS FOR LIFE!" The five of them yelled, throwing their hands up in the air excitedly.


	55. Epilogue

Epilogue

"Fiiiiiiiiitz? They're here!" Olivia squealed from the kitchen as she looked out the window. She was watching her babies pile out of their cars and exchange warm hugs with each other outside on their way inside.

"Coming!" Fitz's voice was as full of excitement as he felt. They were here! They were home. It didn't matter that they technically didn't live here anymore. Damn brats had all grown up, moved out, and gotten their own lives. None of them had stopped to ask for his permission to do any of that either! The nerve!

He raced down the stairs towards the front door and almost collided into his wife of thirty one years. He took advantage of their close proximity and pulled her into his arms. She was just as beautiful as the day he married her a long, long, long, time ago. He gave her perfect empty nest ass a squeeze. "Hi." He said in a flirty voice before leaning down to peck her lips.

She held onto his forearms that still held muscles from his daily work at the bakery. They were the same arms that held her tightly when she needed a shoulder to cry on or held her in place when he was busy doing things to her in secret. Her fingers were on autopilot and went straight to his sandy curls that she fell in love with on the day they met. She pulled back from his face and gave him her best smile. "Hi."

"Whaddya say we skip all of this? Just lock the door, go upstairs, and do things to each other?" He wiggled his eyebrows as his lopsided smile made an appearance.

Olivia chuckled at him. "I really need to see my girls! Besides, I honestly don't think our kids would appreciate that?"

The door flung open. "What wouldn't we appreciate?" A baritone voice asked.

"What are they talking about now?" Another voice asked.

"Jesus! Are they stuck to each other again?" Yet another one complained.

Fitz and Olivia grinned at their welcomed grown up intruders, still in each other's arms right in front of the door. "Come back in an hour." Fitz suggested.

Olivia chuckled and swatted his arm playfully.

"Please tell me the old man did not just say what I think he said?" Lincoln said with mock disgust. "Don't you guys ever get sick of each other?"

"We get along a lot better now that all three of you brats are gone." Fitz laughed.

"Stop talking, dad." Kate said. "It's not normal for old people to like each other as much as the two of you do."

"They are cute as hell. You guys are just jealous." Carter supplied. He pointed at his sister. "Especially you!"

"Yea right!" Kate shot back.

Olivia craned her head trying to look through the large bodies blocking the door. "Where are my favorite people?"

Carter looked at his wife. "That used to be us."

"They had to get their purses out of the car." Lincoln said rolling his eyes.

Olivia pinched Carter's too thin cheek and said, "You guys are pretty damn good, but they are the best!" She gave her adult children a sympathetic smile.

"What she said." Fitz agreed. "Now move so we can get to them before that redheaded psycho across the street notices that they are here and comes charging over!"

The crowd of four parted and Olivia and Fitz stepped out on their porch. Their faces split into huge proud grins as they watched their gorgeous daughter in law try to corral two five year olds carrying little pink purses up the stairs. "Come on, ladies."

"Hey, Anna. Who are the two slow pokes you have with you?" Olivia asked, hugging her daughter in law.

"A couple of cute girls I found in the woods." Anna joked.

"If you don't want 'em, we'll keep 'em." Fitz offered. He heard the girls giggle as they slowly made their way up the steps and it made him grin.

Immediately Fitz and Olivia squatted down with arms open wide, just waiting for a cute small body to hold onto. "Jama! Pop Pop!" The girls sang as they happily launched themselves into their grandparent's arms.

The girls were twins, but they looked nothing alike. Oakleigh had red hair just like her mother, but it was curly instead of bone straight. She had a little more attitude than her sister. Something both Olivia and Fitz loved to see in action. It provided endless entertainment. Ashleigh had curly hair too, but hers was dark brown. She was the quieter of the two of them, and she was a momma's girl. That side of her was never seen, however, when they visited Jama and Pop Pop because the girls wanted nothing more than to spend time with their grandparents.

Hugs were given and then the girls swapped grandparents and hugs were given again. "How are my favorite twins?" Fitz asked.

"Do you gots cupcakes this time?" Oakleigh asked with a mischievous grin.

"Maybe. But only after you pay the price and eat your dinner all gone." He pointed to his cheek and gave her a similar grin. He felt warm lips press a wet kiss to his cheek and it made his grin grow even bigger.

"Do I get cupcakes too, Jama?" Ashleigh asked quietly.

"You know what you gotta do." Olivia whispered.

"Pay up, shorty." Fitz encouraged. The shy little girl giggled and leaned close, so she could kiss his other cheek. He wondered why they hadn't become grandparents sooner? This gig was way better than parenting. "Let's go inside so I can pick on your dad and uncle." They carried the girls into the living room and sat down with them as their little giggles carried throughout the house.

"Isn't there any food in the fridge?" Carter asked holding the refrigerator door wide open.

"Dinner will be ready in ten minutes. You can wait. Come sit down and talk to us. I haven't seen your ridiculously handsome face in a month." Olivia said.

"I can't help it. Ever since dad gave me the keys to the second bakery, I've been super busy. Savannah hasn't seen me much more often than you have either, mom." Carter whined.

"You guys have only been married for a year." Olivia pointed out. "You've been the owner of the second location for over two. You need to prioritize!"

"It's okay, Olivia." Savannah chirped as she held onto Carter's arm. "He's actually taught me quite a bit about cooking. It's a lot more interesting to me now."

Olivia shot a look to her husband, who grinned wolfishly back at her. Once upon a time it had the two of them in the kitchen with Fitz teaching Olivia how to cook. Except they had been naked and ended up doing crazy things with each other that had nothing to do with food. Oh, to be young again. She shook the thought from her mind and said, "it's really important to make time for each other no matter what."

"That's true." Fitz added. "Cooking lessons are one thing, but you need to go out in public some too. Nobody wants to be cooped up in the house all the time."

"Right. Oooooh, babe. Remember that time we went clubbing? That was so much fun!" Olivia recalled fondly. "Maybe you guys should do that?"

"You guys went clubbing? Together?" Lincoln asked in disbelief. "My parents?"

"Yes and no." Fitz said. "We went, but we weren't together. We did leave together though." He noticed the interested looks his kids were giving him and couldn't wait to hear their reactions.

"How come I haven't heard this story before?" Kate asked. "This was before you two were married I take it?"

"No. We were married." Olivia supplied.

"But you just said you went separately?" Carter asked in a voice full of confusion.

"Yea. We did go separately. We arranged to be there and meet for the first time as if we were strangers. It was very fun. Until that...woman latched onto your father. What happened was..."

"No, no, no, no." Kate said cutting her off and gesturing wildly with her hands. "I think I get it now, and I'm glad I never heard this story before. You guys have been weird a long time before any of us came into the picture."

"That is a fact." Fitz said proudly.

"What's a fact, Pop Pop?" Ashleigh asked.

"A fact is something that is true. Or real." Fitz explained. The girl smiled, satisfied with his answer. "What about you, Kate?"

"What about me what?" She asked.

"When are you gonna settled down, get married, and give us more grandchildren?"

Kate gave her father a horrified look. "No time soon. That's what you have these two for. Ask the newlyweds. Right, Carter?"

Carter narrowed his eyes at his twin sister. "I can't wait for you to bring a guy home to meet all of us. I'm going to scare him off with all of the..." He glanced at his nieces and then back at his sister. "crap I have on you that he'll run out the door and not look back."

"Counting on it, Carter. If I ever get to the place where I even think I want to get married, I'll expect you to do just that. No one and nothing is going to come before my career for a very long time."

"Be careful with that thinking, Kate." Fitz warned. "It's exactly what your mother thought until the day she met me completely out of the blue."

"The dry cleaning story. I know. I have heard that one at least a million times!" Kate said, rolling her eyes.

"Why am I asking Carter about babies?" Olivia asked her daughter. At her son's huff, she knew she was on to something. "Did you think I'd forget? I nevvvver forget."

Carter smiled at Savannah and she smiled back at him. She nudged his shoulder as everyone watched. "We're...gonna have a baby." He announced with a big proud smile.

"Way to go, little brother!" Lincoln said excitedly, pulling him in for a hug.

"Congratulations, Savannah." Anna said, hugging her sister in law. "I'm so happy for you both."

"More adorable little Grants! Congratulations, Carteroni." Fitz shifted Ashleigh to his hip and hugged Carter with a huge grin on his face.

Olivia stood up and hugged Savannah close. Olivia got close to her daughter in law's ear and whispered, "Grants are fertile as hell. Be careful." Savannah laughed and shook her head. "I'm so happy for both of you. When are you due?" Olivia asked for the room to hear.

"We don't know yet. We just took a home pregnancy test a few days ago. We've got an appointment scheduled three weeks from tomorrow." Savannah replied happily.

"Awwww, my little Carter is gonna be a daddy." Olivia hugged him close as her heart burst with pride for him. "Abby and I are going to have to go shopping soon!"

The front door opened, and Abby came running in.

"Speak of the devil." Olivia muttered.

"Hiiiiii. How is everybody? You know what? I don't care." She went to stand in front of Fitz and simply said, "hand her over."

Fitz held onto his granddaughter and moved her further from the redhead's open arms. "No way! She's visiting with Pop Pop right now. Right Oakleigh?"

The little girl shook her head up and down.

Abby leaned a little closer to him and whispered, "do not make me tell Olivia about that thing you did last week." She had no dirt on him, but Fitz didn't know that, and she wasn't about to tell him. She'd use whatever she could to get more time with her grand babies.

Fitz took a moment to search the recesses of his mind for whatever Abby was referring to. He came up with nothing at all, but he wasn't going to take the chance. "You have five minutes and then I want her back."

"What kind of name is Pop Pop anyways?" She scoffed.

"Pop Pop is twice the fun and that's why I got the name." He had come to his own conclusion about that and decided it made sense and he was sticking with it. And it made him feel like he was twice as good as his father for just being named Pops.

Abby ignored him and sat down with her granddaughter. "How's my princess?"

"I'm so good." The little girl replied, sarcastically.

"That one is my princess. Technically speaking." Olivia pointed out.

"Just because your kid and my kid decided to use the first letter of our names to name their own daughters, doesn't mean one is yours and one is mine, Liv."

"I know that. This one is my princess too." Olivia said, holding the little girl close and sticking out her tongue at her friend.

Abby looked at her granddaughter with a big smile and asked, "Do you know what a baby hog is?"

"No." Oakleigh replied intrigued.

"A baby hog is someone who..."

"Wow. Look at the time." Fitz said, plucking his granddaughter from Abby's arms. "You gotta go home."

"But I..."

"Do you really want Liv and I to come to your house when Link and Anna come over there visiting with the girls after dinner?" Abby closed her mouth. "I didn't think so. Tell the redheaded lady bye, Oakleigh."

"Byeeeeeeee."

After dinner Fitz and Olivia cleaned up the dishes as Kate sat on the living room floor and allowed the girls to give her a make over. It was one of the ways Kate spent time with them, and the twins insisted on it every time they saw her. She would sit down, and the girls would climb onto her lap and use brushes and other assorted tools to make her beautiful. The three of them would talk about any and everything as they did their work. Olivia kept their beauty products upstairs in Kate's old bedroom. She ended up looking like a cross between a drunk clown and a cheap hooker, but it was all in good fun. Kate dutifully paid the girls five dollars each and thanked them profusely for making her beautiful. Her brothers always gave her shit about how she looked, but Kate didn't care.

When their parents joined them in the living room again, Lincoln stood up and said, "I have an announcement to make."

"You're finally going to get a personality?" Carter asked.

"I hope you have twins, Cart. Twin girls." Lincoln chuckled when his brother paled.

"This sounds serious." Fitz said.

"It is, dad." Lincoln reached into his wife's purse and pulled out a paperback. "I got a book published recently."

"What? Really? Like published, published? Why didn't you tell us?"

"I was waiting for the book to be printed so I could present the two of you with the first copy before it hits stores. It'll be rolled out this week."

"Wow! That's exciting. Why the secrecy though? I would have loved to have helped with it. I'm a very good editor. Free too. You always let me read your stuff before it gets published." Olivia said.

"This one is different." he explained.

"What makes it different?" She asked.

"This book is non fiction."

He handed the book to his mother as she and his father looked at the cover briefly before flipping it over to see his picture on the back. It was always a thrill for Olivia to see her son's handsome face smiling back at her from one of his publications. "Ohhh, okay. A true story. What's it about?"

"It's about the two of you actually. How you met and got married and had kids and raised them." Lincoln explained. "Some of it is exaggerated because I had to fill in some spaces I wasn't sure of. But I think it's probably pretty close to reality based on all the stories you both have repeatedly told the three of us over the years."

Olivia was dumbfounded. She finally dropped her gaze from her son back down to the book in her hands. She flipped it over to the front cover and read the title out loud. "We Figured it Out."

"The title seemed...I don't know. Right? Now that I'm a dad, it makes a lot more sense. I hope you aren't offended or upset that I wrote about your life and published it?"

"Hell no! Ron Howard made a movie about his upbringing. I bet his parents were thrilled to death about it?" Fitz exclaimed.

The tears began to fall from Olivia's eyes and she wiped them furiously and finally picked her head up and looked at her first born. This is what he had spent the past year writing. This is why he always sounded preoccupied whenever she called to check on the four of them. He had been writing about their lives. She cleared her throat and said, "This is amazing, Lincoln. Thank you." She went to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him tightly in a hug.

"You might want to read it before you start giving out praise, mom. It might be bad?" He chuckled.

"Is there s-e-x in it?" Fitz asked on a laugh.

"You should know, you wouldn't shut up about some of it whenever I called you for more stories to fill the book." Lincoln said making a face.

"So that's what you wanted all of that information for? Huh? I thought you were trying to learn something new?"

"Fitz!" Olivia hissed.

"The boy knows what he's doing. He's got kids, Liv." He replied. "Of course, he's only got two and we had three, so maybe he needs some pointers after all?"

"He's going to be that crazy old man in the nursing home that flirts with everything with a pulse." Carter joked.

"Oh, he..heck no he isn't!" Olivia corrected. "He's going to be that crazy old man that's tied to the bed."

"Now you're talking, babe." Fitz said grinning.

Their three kids groaned at their ridiculous father.

"Because he's off his crazy meds and has to be restrained." She added.

"THAT sounds a lot closer to the truth!" Link said laughing.

"Damn smart asses. All of ya!" Fitz muttered.

"What's a smart ass, Pop Pop?" Oakleigh asked.

Six adult faces shot Fitz ugly looks for letting the curse word slip around the girls.

"It's a bad word that Pop Pop shouldn't have said. And you shouldn't say it either or you'll get into trouble with you parents. Okay? I'm sorry." He explained.

"Mmmmkay." She said with an angelic face.

"You know she's gonna be saying it later on when the two of them are in bed. They will be memorizing the word and laughing over it together." Lincoln told his father.

"I said I was sorry." Fitz said. "Besides, the three of you did the same thing all the time. Don't think I don't know about your secret meetings and little chats together. That's what siblings do, son."

Trying to help alleviate some of the awkwardness, Olivia held up the book and said, "I'll read it tonight."

"You'll read it tomorrow. You have plans with me tonight after the kids leave." Fitz corrected her with a wink and patted her ass.

"Dad! Can you not do that every time we come over?" Kate pleaded.

"Get over it, Kate. It's just how they are. Mom and dad don't know how to be any other way." Lincoln stated.

"Leave him alone, Kate. Dad loves mom. And for some reason she loves him too. You're just jealous you only have a legal brief to go home to." Carter reminded her.

"Legal briefs don't make a mess. Or cry for hours on end. Or call all hours of the night. I'm happy with my legal briefs, thank you very much!" She snapped back. "And on that happy note, I'm going home."

"That's my independent girl." Fitz said smiling proudly.

Everyone stood up and prepared to leave. "Don't keep the girls up too late, Lincoln. It's a school night."

Lincoln kissed his mother's cheek. "Yes ma'am. Once a mom, always a mom."

"Thank you again for the book. I can't wait to start reading it." Olivia was excited to see what exactly her son had written about his parents and siblings and life when they were younger. She wondered if she would consider it fiction or non fiction when she was done with it?

"Tomorrow though, right?" Lincoln asked shaking his head.

"Go be handsome somewhere else." she giggled.

"Thank you for coming over for dinner, Anna. It's always good to see the four of you." Fitz said, giving his daughter in law a hug.

She leaned closer to him and whispered, "Soon to be five of us." She watched a proud smile bloom across his face and said, "Link doesn't even know yet. Don't tell anyone."

"Take care of yourself and please announce it soon. I'm terrible at keeping secrets from the nosey one." Fitz informed her.

"If you need anyone to ride with you to the obstetrician's office, I'd be glad to go with you." Olivia offered to Savannah.

"Really? That would be kind of cool honestly. It's hard being pregnant and not having a mom to do things like this with. I mean, I have my aunt, but it's not the same thing really. Thanks, Olivia." Savannah said.

"Of course. Let me know the date and time and I'll pick you up. We'll make a day of it and go to lunch. Or spend Carter's money and go shopping."

"Carter doesn't have any money to spend, mom." Carter leaned down and kissed his mother's cheek with a grin. "But you taking my girl to doctor appointments when I can't go would be amazing."

"Call me, Savannah." Olivia called out as the two of them walked outside to get into their car. "We'll get money from Fitz and call it Carter's paycheck as we spend it."

"You stay away from my wallet, woman. It's just getting used to having cash in it now that the kids are gone."

"Don't spend every minute of your life at work, Kate. You need to go out and experience life some too." Fitz advised. "I know you are enjoying your career right now and there's nothing wrong with that but do some things for yourself too. I don't want you to burn out too young."

Kate smiled at her dad. He was the best. Always worrying about the three of them. Mostly her though since she was single and spending every waking moment at work. "I promise, dad. Maybe one day next week you can take me to lunch or something?"

"I could do that. Maybe a movie afterwards too? Make a day of it?" He suggested with a grin.

"That could be fun. Are you gonna spring for popcorn and a drink?"

"That depends on how much money your mother leaves in there after she's taken some out." he joked.

"Okay, dad." she chuckled. "Next week is good for me. I'll call you at the bakery and we'll pick a day to go do the town together. Just the two of us." She was sort of excited at the thought of spending the day with her dad. She waved goodbye to her parents and got into her car, driving away.

Fitz and Olivia watched Link, Anna, and the girls drive across the street to visit with Stephen and Abby and Carter and Savannah head home. Fitz turned off the outside light and closed the door, locking it behind them. They took a moment to absorb the silence. The quiet in the house used to be so dreaded. The house had been so noisy for so long that once the kids started leaving home for college the silence was deafening.

Now, after everyone was gone again, the silence was a welcomed sound. Silence had become the new normal for the empty nesters and while they loved their growing family, they loved their alone time too. Fitz turned to Olivia and smiled. "I know a secret. A big one!"

She grinned up at him. "I'll race ya to the bedroom where I bet I can get it out of you."

"You're on." He took off sprinting up the steps with her hot on his trail. They were both giggling as they ran.

 **If you read this story, left a review, or tweeted about it, please know that I genuinely appreciate it. You guys have been phenomenal supporters of this story! I appreciate you for supporting my writing or encouraging me in this crazy, fun, happy version of Olitz. I have loved writing every single chapter for the five of them and as weird as it sounds, they feel real to me. I'm sad to let them go, as I know some of you are, but all good things must end. I'm going to continue writing The Merger and I have started a new Olitz story as well. We'll see how it goes. Thank you again.**


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